Most Iowa businesses have fire suppression equipment, and it’s important to understand how to use it. However, it’s just as important to have the right equipment, especially if you are in the food preparation industry. Commercial kitchens face different fire hazards than most businesses today, and they need class K fire extinguisher products. What is class K? Let’s look at some fire basics to explain.
Types of Fires
There are five basic fire classes you may come in contact with. For example:
* A – Everyday fires from paper, wood, plastic materials, and rubber.
* B – Flammable liquids which have a potential for explosion. This includes gasoline and oil.
* C – Working electric equipment
* D – Flammable metals like lithium and magnesium. Potassium and sodium are also included.
* K – Grease fires and most fires occurring in kitchens.
Class K Saponification
Saponification means to turn into soap. When you mix fat with an alkaloid, it creates soap. A class K fire extinguisher protects your Iowa business because it has alkaline compounds like potassium citrate or potassium acetate. When these alkaline ingredients mix with fats from cooking oils, they form a soapy foam. This layer of foam absorbs heat and vapors from fire and puts it out.
In the past, dry chemical extinguishers were effective on grease and kitchen-related fires. However, many cooling oils today contain vegetable products, and these fats are different from animal fats. Vegetable fats have fewer fatty acids, and chemical foams are ineffective on modern cooking fires. In addition, many common grease fires are hotter these days, due to highly efficient frying methods.
Today’s commercial kitchen suppression systems use wet chemical agents to help put out fires because they work well against vegetable fats. A class K fire extinguisher is compatible with wet chemical agents and is the best choice for your Iowa food service business.
