Protect Your Business with Expert Fire Safety Tips
Learn how to prevent common kitchen hazards, stay compliant with codes, and keep your team safe — straight from a career fire captain.
Protect Your Business, Team, and Customers with These Expert Tips
As a career fire captain and founder of Hoods by Heroes Fire & Safety, I’ve seen firsthand how small safety oversights can lead to major fire risks. These tips are designed to help restaurant owners, food truck operators, and kitchen managers across Charlotte, Belmont, and surrounding areas stay fire-safe and code-compliant.
1. Clean Your Kitchen Hood Regularly
Grease buildup inside your exhaust hood system is one of the top causes of kitchen fires. Over time, even a thin layer of grease can ignite under high heat.
Best Practices:
-Schedule professional hood cleanings monthly to quarterly, depending on usage.
-Follow NFPA 96 guidelines for hood maintenance.
-Visually inspect filters weekly for buildup.
Need help? We offer certified hood cleanings that meet code and insurance requirements.
2. Inspect Your Fire Suppression System
Your hood’s fire suppression system is your last line of defense. But if it’s expired, blocked, or leaking, it may fail when you need it most.
Stay Protected:
-Have a technician inspect your system every 6 months.
-Replace nozzles, tanks, and cartridges as needed.
-Ensure manual pull stations are clearly marked and unobstructed.
3. Prevent Grease Buildup Around Equipment
It’s not just inside the hood — fires often start where grease builds up behind fryers, stoves, and under grills.
Tips:
-Train staff to wipe down spill zones at every shift change.
-Do a weekly “deep corner” check behind and under equipment.
-Use degreasing products rated for kitchen use.
4. Train Staff on Fire Extinguisher Use
Your kitchen crew is the first to respond in an emergency. Make sure they know how.
Teach the PASS Method:
-Pull the pin
-Aim at the base of the fire
-Squeeze the handle
-Sweep side to side
5. Schedule a Professional Fire Risk Assessment
Many fire hazards hide in plain sight — faulty wiring, blocked exits, overloaded circuits. A professional walkthrough can spot what others miss.
Our Fire Risk Assessments Include:
-Full kitchen fire code compliance check
-Suppression and extinguisher evaluations
-Complete inspection of premise and documentation of findings
Stay Proactive — Stay Safe
Fire safety isn’t just about passing inspections — it’s about protecting your people and your livelihood.