Fire safety is a priority in every environment, but it becomes even more essential in places where cooking is involved. Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and bakeries operate under significant fire risk as Class K fires occur from burning cooking oils and greases. These fires operate at extremely high heat levels, which makes standard extinguishers ineffective when attempting to control them. Class K fire extinguishers have been developed to eliminate dangerous fires effectively. Read through to learn what is a class K fire, how their extinguishers work, why they are essential and how to install them.
Understanding Class K Fires
As discussed, a class K fire event refers to any incident that involves heated cooking oils as one of the ignition factors. It is not just the oil itself that ignites but also the vapour generated when it is heated past its flash point. It generates an intense and swiftly spreading blaze.
Also, the chemical makeup of cooking oils makes them extremely hard to put out using water. In fact, water can forcefully make the burning oil splatter, spread the flames and possibly lead to serious burns.
What is a Class K Fire Extinguisher?
The class K fire extinguisher is a perfect partner for kitchens with deep fryers and grills. It has wet chemicals inside, like potassium acetate, potassium carbonate, and potassium citrate, which help fight fires. When you use it on a greasy fire, it shoots out a cool mist that basically puts out the fire by dropping the temperature. It also leaves a layer on the oil, so it can’t start back up again.
How Do Class K Fire Extinguishers Work?
Class K fire extinguishers use saponification. This involves the extinguisher’s wet chemical agent reacting with the hot oil or grease. It forms a soapy foam that smothers the fire and cools the surface. Here’s how they work:
- The extinguisher produces a precise mist stream of wet chemical agents.
- A fog from the mist causes the burning oil to cool down, thereby reducing flames.
- The chemical agent forms a soapy layer by transforming oil into foam, which both halts oxygen intake and captures vapour molecules.
- The fire is unlikely to re-ignite because the surface remains fully covered.
Where Should I Install Class K Fire Extinguishers?
With an idea of what are class K fire extinguishers and how they work, the next important task is to ensure that you install them at the right place so that they’re handy when needed:
Placement guidelines
- All Class K fire extinguishers require installation according to NFPA 10.
- Fire extinguishers belonging to Class K need to be placed: At any point within 30 feet (9 meters) of cooking appliances.
- You can easily install these extinguishers in the kitchen and other food service areas, including cafeterias, food trucks, and bakeries.
- Class K fire extinguishers should be set next to deep fryers, stoves and grills without touching the equipment.
Integration with Fire Suppression Systems
If your kitchen has an overhead fire suppression system, it should be the first line of defence. An employee must use the system to activate it before using a Class K extinguisher.
Having both Class K fire extinguishers along with other extinguishers with coverage for paper, plastic, or electrical fires is essential for proper fire protection.
What Testing Does a Fire Extinguisher Go Through to Get a Class K Designation?
Testing of fire extinguishers under UL 711 (Standard for Safety for Rating and Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishers) determines whether the device qualifies as Class K.
Class K Fire Extinguisher Testing Process:
- This testing subjects the fire extinguisher to flame out a vegetable oil fire within a deep fryer.
- The extinguisher needs to finish all fires for successful operation.
- The extinguished fire should remain extinguished, and the fire should not start again.
- The fryer area requires protection against flaming oil escaping from the tank.
Summing Up
Making your commercial kitchen environment fire-safe is essential. A suitable fire extinguisher can make all the difference between a minor accident and a large fire disaster. L&T-SuFin brings you certified Class K fire extinguishers that safely defend your kitchen area as well as your staff.
Make sure you select the right fire extinguishers. Protect your kitchen and ensure compliance with fire safety regulations. Get a class K fire extinguisher from L&T SuFin today!
FAQs
What is the fuel for a class K fire?
Class K fires are fueled by:
- Animal fats (butter, lard)
- Vegetable oils (canola, peanut, sunflower)
- Grease buildup from cooking appliances
What is a type K fire extinguisher?
Only a class K fire extinguisher should be used for kitchen fires. Other extinguishers may be ineffective or dangerous.
What is an example of a class K fire?
Overheated oil in deep fryers leads to common instances of fire. A fire that exceeds extreme temperatures will spread rapidly unless handled effectively.
What Types of Fire Extinguishers Are Class K?
Fire extinguishers come in different types, but those for Class K fires represent the only acceptable method for fighting cooking oil fires. These are wet chemical fire extinguishers. They display kitchen-use labels and contain wet chemical agents as their extinguishing compound.
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