According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), an estimated 5,600 restaurant fires are reported to the fire department each year (latest statistics from 2011 to 2013). The leading cause was cooking operations, which accounted for 64% of those fires. Since restaurant fires occur on a fairly regular basis, it makes sense that fire extinguishers are installed to keep people safe and reduce losses.

Dry Chemical Extinguishers

Everyone knows that fire extinguishers are required in restaurants, but which ones and how many is usually the question. When approaching a customer with a commercial cooking operation, such as a restaurant or cafeteria, inform him that all buildings have Class A fire hazards and that is why installing multipurpose dry chemical extinguishers, throughout the dining area and other areas outside of the kitchen cooking area, is necessary. Let him know that these extinguishers are ABC rated dry chemical extinguishers and are intended for most fires, except fires involving cooking grease. The main thing is to let him know there will be no point more than 75 ft from an extinguisher.

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Class K Extinguishers

Your next step is to install extinguishers for the additional hazards. The cooking areas of restaurants need special extinguishers. Every appliance that uses cooking oil needs Class K extinguishers. This includes deep fat fryers, griddles, and stovetop pans. In simple terms, Class K extinguishers are required for the protection of these cooking appliances because of the special fire hazards (potential grease fires). NFPA 10 says you need a Class K extinguisher within 30 ft travel distance of these appliances. The words “travel distance” means the actual walking distance from an appliance around fixed objects to reach an extinguisher. For this reason, there is often more than one Class K extinguisher for large kitchen areas. Place Class K extinguishers so that they protect several appliances. If you have two or three appliances and you can put one Class K extinguisher within 30 ft of those appliances, you have covered the hazard. You do not need an extinguisher for each appliance, just one within 30 ft. But often times there are multiple cooking stations, so make sure each station has a Class K extinguisher within 30 ft.

Class K Extinguisher Signs

Always remember to install a sign that says the extinguishing system must be discharged prior to using an extinguisher. NFPA requires these signs be installed for each Class K extinguisher. Brooks has made your job easier with two options. Our signs (BL189 and A273) are code compliant, so either one will work for your customer.

“Always remember to install a sign that says the extinguishing system must be discharged prior to using an extinguisher.”

Extinguisher Location Signs

For most restaurants, it is difficult to predict where the workers will place food items and cookware. Often extinguishers will become hidden from view. That is why it is a good idea to install an extinguisher sign in the vicinity of every extinguisher in the food preparation and cooking area. That way the extinguisher locations will be easy to identify in the event of a fire. And when you install the signs, make sure they are not only adjacent to the extinguisher but also visible from the normal path of travel.

For restaurants, always anticipate installing ABC dry chemical extinguishers for building coverage and Class K extinguishers for the cooking area—do not forget the signs for the Class K. With these simple tips, you should be able to provide the right type and number of extinguishers for restaurants and make sure your customers are code compliant for extinguisher coverage and required signage.

NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers is undergoing a revision. The first meeting of the NFPA Technical Committee was held near the Chicago O’Hare airport on September 24-26, 2019. At the meeting, the committee developed a draft report of proposed changes. As is usual, many changes are editorial in nature or clarifications of existing text, but some of the modifications and additions are more substantive. Here is an overview of some of the substantive changes that will appear in the report that was posted on the NFPA website on February 9, 2020.

Extinguisher Swap-Outs

One of the biggest discussions in the industry these days is the practice of “swap-outs”. That is the term used whenever an installed extinguisher is replaced. For stored-pressure dry chemical extinguishers, this is typically done at the time when the 12-year hydrostatic test is due. Although it is common practice for service companies to leave a “loaner” when an extinguisher is removed for servicing, “swap-outs” have become more common in recent years.

A new provision will require that the owner be notified whenever there is a removal or replacement of an existing extinguisher. Additionally, explanatory material was added to the annex that provides guidance on the practice of swap-outs.

High Flow Extinguishers

Furnishings in buildings are classified as Class A common combustibles. Furnishings that also potentially involve flammable liquids are no longer Class A but become Class B hazards. The committee took the first step in recognizing this type of special hazard with the development of new annex material that describes a fire involving furnishings soaked with a flammable liquid. The committee notes in the committee statement that large-capacity dry chemical extinguishers are needed for Class A hazards that have the potential to involve flammable liquids. It is anticipated that further modifications will be made at the next committee meeting, regarding this type of hazard.

Signs for Extinguisher Cabinets

Changes were made to require extinguisher signs for extinguisher cabinets where the extinguisher cannot be readily seen. The intent is that the extinguisher inside the cabinet either needs to be visible or a sign needs to be installed. The new provisions apply to cabinets that do not have transparent covers or windows in the doors and cabinets with extinguishers that are not visible from the normal path of travel.

Extinguishers for Protection of Electronic Equipment

New explanatory text was added to the annex that says extinguishers provided for the protection of delicate electronic equipment are typically halogenated agent and water mist extinguishers with Class A ratings. Although it is well established that clean agent extinguishers are a match for computers, servers, telecommunications, and robotics, there is a need to emphasize that water mist extinguishers are also appropriate and have a Class C rating and contain de-ionized water with a low mineral content. Consequently, they have many of the same applications as halogenated agents.

Extinguisher Theft Deterrent Devices

Extinguisher theft and tampering is a problem in some buildings, such as colleges and university dormitories, where extinguishers are installed in extinguisher cabinets. New annex text provides information that is useful for these situations. The new explanatory material says that extinguishers in cabinets can be monitored for tampering or theft by theft deterrent devices that provide an alarm or other indication when the extinguisher is removed from the cabinet. This equipment is important for areas where there is a need for monitoring extinguishers for theft.

Strap-Type Brackets

Since extinguishers installed in vehicles can become dislodged, they are required to have strap-type brackets. Although existing text is intended to also apply to other locations, it is often missed by users of the standard. Subsequently, a new paragraph was added that specifically requires extinguishers subject to dislodgement to be installed with approved strap-type brackets, specifically designed to prevent dislodgement. The new provision should improve safety where dislodgement is a potential hazard.

Extinguisher Cabinets with Scored Panels

Since it is unsafe to have a cabinet that has a scored front panel without a device for breaking the panel for immediate access to the extinguisher, a new paragraph was added to address this concern. The new text requires extinguisher cabinets with break-front panels to be provided with breaker bars or hammers. Another new paragraph requires missing breaker bars or hammers and broken, damaged, or missing scored-panels to be replaced.

Monthly Inspections of Extinguishers

When a visual inspection is performed on an extinguisher, it is removed from its mounting location and examined. At that time, the extinguisher is hefted or weighed and corrective action is taken where needed. The revision makes the requirement for weighing or hefting only applicable to self-expelling, cartridge-operated, and pump tank extinguishers, since the extinguisher gauge can often be relied upon to determine if an extinguisher is full. The change is intended to accommodate electronic monitoring that does not include electronic weighing. The reliability of gauges came up during the debate and further changes might be needed during the next meeting.

Maintenance Records

At the time of the annual external examination, the monthly inspection items are also examined. A new paragraph now requires the monthly inspection items to be checked as part of the annual maintenance. Also a new paragraph permits the record for the monthly inspection that is performed during annual maintenance to be recorded with the maintenance record and not recorded separately as an inspection. This change came about because of confusion in the field. The result will clarify that a separate monthly inspection and separate record for that inspection is not needed during the month that an annual external examination is performed.

Water Mist Extinguishers

Since all water mist extinguishers should contain an agent that is electrically nonconductive, paragraph 4.1.4.3 is being deleted. The deletion may not be enough to solve problems in the field and is likely to be further modified during the second revision meeting. At issue is whether a water mist extinguisher manufactured prior to August 15, 2002, should be removed from service or simply have the agent comply with the electrical conductivity requirements (de-ionized water). Replacing the agent in these extinguishers with newer de-ionized water replacement agent creates a conflict with the extinguisher nameplate information. The deletion of text does not resolve this problem. Further discussions are needed to resolve this issue.

Foam Agent Replacement

Existing text requires foam extinguishing agent to be replaced every 3 years and a hydrostatic test performed every 5 years. A change was made to require the replacement interval to be in accordance with the extinguisher manufacturer’s instructions and not to exceed the 5-year hydrostatic test interval. This will require diligence on the part of servicing companies, as some manufacturer’s instructions dictate a 3-year replacement, while others allow 5-year replacement.

Pressure Gauges

A new requirement was added to mandate the replacement of broken, cracked, illegible, damaged, nonworking, or water-contaminated pressure gauges. Although this seems obvious, the standard has never mandated it. This change is intended to improve safety and require more diligence in examining gauges and replacement of those that are no longer in a usable condition.

What is Next?

Public comments on the first draft revision are due May 6, 2020, and the committee must meet by November 2020 to develop their second and final report on recommended changes to NFPA 10. The next edition of NFPA will be issued by the NFPA Standards Council in August of 2021, which will allow for any final public debates to occur during the NFPA Convention and Expo in June of 2021.