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NFPA 96
Requirements for ventilation systems, exhaust hoods, grease removal devices, and fire suppression systems protecting commercial cooking equipment. Commonly referenced by inspectors for restaurant and food service facility plan review and inspection.
Cooking equipment and grease accumulation in exhaust systems are among the leading causes of commercial structure fires. Departments with restaurants, cafeterias, and institutional kitchens in their response area should understand the primary fire causes and suppression system types they will encounter.
- Exhaust hood design and grease removal device concepts (high level)
- Duct system construction and clearance concepts
- Automatic fire suppression system requirements for cooking equipment (conceptual)
- Fuel shutoff integration concepts
- Cleaning and maintenance frequency concepts
- Inspection documentation concepts
- Inspecting restaurant exhaust systems for grease accumulation and cleaning compliance
- Evaluating automatic suppression system installation during restaurant plan review
- Briefing first-due companies on grease fire behavior and suppression system activation signs
- Investigating cooking fires where suppression system activation or failure is a factor
- Coordinating with restaurant owners on cleaning schedule documentation
- Automatic suppression systems eliminate all cooking fire risk (grease buildup in ducts can extend fire beyond the suppression system's protected zone).
- Hood cleaning is the restaurant's problem alone (dirty hoods are a code violation and a fire cause—inspection and enforcement are part of prevention).
- CO2 extinguishers are always the right tool for grease fires (saponification agents in fixed suppression systems are designed specifically for these fuels—first-due tactics should consider system status first).
- Include exhaust hood cleaning schedule verification in routine restaurant inspections
- Preplan suppression system shut-off and reset locations for large commercial kitchens
- Brief first-due companies on automatic suppression system indicators—what 'activated' looks like at a restaurant fire
- Use cooking fire investigation data to target inspection resources at high-recurrence occupancies
How often must commercial kitchen exhaust systems be cleaned?
What suppression agents are approved for commercial cooking?
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