PLACENTIA AND THE BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA —As cooking methods have changed over the years, they have necessitated changes in fire safety as it relates to commercial cooking equipment.

The creation of UL-300 (Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing Systems for Protection of Restaurant Cooking Areas) on Nov. 21, 1994, is rooted in these changes, said Massoud Farazandeh, general manager of the Bay area fire protection company Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., an affiliate of American Professional Services (APS-Hoods).

Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. has provided Bay area fire systems sales, installations and repairs from its Denver headquarters since the company opened in 1989. The company opened a Placentia, California satellite location in August 2009 to better serve fire suppression system requests from throughout California.

Fire Suppression Before UL-300
Pre-engineered chemical suppression systems were created in the 1960s to protect commercial cooking equipment, ducts and plenums, according to an article posted on the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors website.

Underwriter’s Laboratories crafted a series of fire tests for these systems and used the results to establish limitations and requirements for fire detection, nozzle coverage, extinguishing agent and piping systems for fire suppression system makers who agreed to allow their systems to be tested, the NAFED article stated.
Rendered animal fat was the preferred frying ingredient in commercial kitchens when these tests were conducted.

“Not only had the ingredients used in frying foods changed drastically over the years prior to UL-300 taking effect, but the appliances and other equipment also had evolved,” said Farazandeh, a Bay area fire sprinkler systems expert.
As people began to become more concerned with their health, animal fat was replaced with other vegetable-based oils for cooking, the article stated. At the same time, the desire to create faster cooking methods resulted in the use of insulated “high efficiency” fryers that heated faster and took longer to cool off.

What does that have to do with fire safety?
“The unintended consequence of this was that fire hazards increased in commercial kitchens,” Farazandeh said.
Animal fat contains high levels of saturated fat. The extinguishing agent used in pre-engineered restaurant systems was an alkaline base, which combined with fatty acids when discharged to create a soapy solution that blanketed the area, cut off the oxygen supply and contained the fire until the animal fat was cooled below its auto-ignition temperature of 550 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, the NAFED article stated.

Vegetable oils are lower in fatty acids, and have a higher auto-ignition temperature of at least 685 degrees Fahrenheit. When a similar fire involving vegetable oils occurs, it creates a different set of circumstances. With only a limited amount of fatty acids, the ability to create the soapy blanket was hindered because the higher fire temperature caused the soap blanket to break down, reducing the extinguishing capability of the fire suppression system, the article stated.

Changes in cooking processes necessitated changes in the systems used to suppress fires. UL-300 created a new testing standard for fryers, woks, ranges, certain types of broilers, and griddles. The creation of UL-300 effectively eliminated dry chemical systems as a viable fire suppressant, Farazandeh said. Today, only wet chemical systems with higher flow rates, more flow points and increased agent capacity have met UL-300 tests.

What This Means For Restaurants
Restaurant owners and managers who have replaced older cooking equipment with more efficient models should upgrade their system to one that meets UL-300 standards, Farazandeh said.

“A growing number of fire equipment distributors won’t even work on dry systems in restaurants because of the liability involved in working on them,” he said. “And even if companies will work on them, manufacturers don’t make dry chemical systems anymore, which make it harder to repair them because finding replacement parts is difficult.”

Learn More
If you would like more information about how your updated equipment may effect your compliance with UL-300 or you would like to learn more about the Bay area sprinkler fire system services provided by Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., please call: (800) 750-7055, or visit the company’s Web site: http://www.nationwidefireprotection.com/.

About Nationwide Fire Protection Corp.
Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh founded Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. in 1989 and grew the business into a national leader in fire protection and hood cleaning of restaurants and facilities. The company’s comprehensive service offerings enable businesses to do what they do best, which is to focus on their customers and their business. In turn, NFP focuses on what it knows best- keeping businesses in compliance and ensuring the safety of restaurants, staff and patrons.

NFP prides itself on providing exemplary service, offers a quality guarantee and maintains a dependable and highly qualified staff. All crew members are professionally trained to comply with the National Fire Prevention Association Standards and state and local codes.
Nationwide Fire Protection is fully insured and bonded. It is licensed in fire protection contracting in addition to our licensure in the mechanical and electrical fields.

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