Although fires can start in any part of the home (or indeed outdoors), the kitchen is one of the places were heat and naked flames are commonplace. It is also a place where there are plenty of flammable materials- cooking oils, for example. As a result, fires that start in the kitchen can quickly get out of hand. The risks can be dramatically reduced by installing a few very simple pieces of fire safety equipment.
The most important and most obvious is a fire extinguisher. Care should be taken over the selection of any extinguisher as not all are suitable for certain fires. Wet chemical extinguishers are designed for kitchen use. They can cope with hot fat fires while most other extinguishers are not suitable for this application. The fuel is both cooled and denied oxygen, which means flames get put out fast and safely. ABF foam extinguishers are another popular choice, and again, a saucepan of burning fat can be dealt with very efficiently.
A fire blanket is another useful piece of fire safety equipment to have in the kitchen. For small fat fires, fire blankets are simple and quick to deploy, making them ideal for a home environment. They can also be hung neatly on a wall ready for use and they don’t take up much space. However, an extinguisher is also recommended, particularly in commercial or large-scale kitchens. A fire blanket alone may not be enough to deal with a larger incident safely.
The latest extinguisher development for fat fires is the dry water mist extinguisher which is very efficient on deep fat fryer fires and pan fires and is 100% environmentally friendly and can be used on almost every type of fire experienced in homes and businesses.
When it comes to fire protection prevention is much better than cure, but it can also be useful to have a small first aid kit in the kitchen. They are useful for all kinds of minor injuries and the best come with easy to use instruction booklets to help first-aiders do the best possible job.
The Article is written by safelincs.co.uk providing fire protection equipment and fire protection. Visit www.safelincs.co.uk for more information on safelincs.co.uk Products & Services!