Don't Let Your Basement Become Wasted Space

As a restaurant owner, it's important to know that fires are more common in these type of commercial buildings than any other for the simple reason that you are dealing with fire every day in the kitchen. Plus, there is a great deal of flammable liquids in this setting, as well, such as grease, cooking oils, and more. Here are four tips to ensure there is fire protection in your restaurant:

1. A Suppression System: First off, there needs to be a suppression system inside of your restaurant's kitchen. This is going to extinguish flames with a foaming agent that takes oxygen away from the fire to keep it from growing and spreading. The benefit of this over the use of a manual fire extinguisher is that the residue is designed not to leave a sticky residue that is difficult to clean up in the aftermath of the fire. 
2. Vent Systems Regularly Cleaned: You need to have vent systems in your kitchen to help release heat and fumes from cooking. You also need to have these vents regularly cleaned by professionals since grease builds up here and can block heat and fumes from escaping more rapidly. 
3. Fire Sprinklers: You should have fire sprinklers installed everywhere inside of the restaurant to help put out any flames that escape the kitchen. Besides, a fire can even potentially start outside of the kitchen, especially from lit candles on the tables or on desserts for birthdays. The fire sprinklers will help put these out, as well. Be sure to have them tested regularly and inspected by professionals. 
4. Emergency Lighting: Finally, you need to be sure that you have emergency lighting installed since fires commonly cause power outages. With the emergency lighting activated, your guests can escape the restaurant safely without running into any flames. Plus, it can help the firefighters on scene ensure that the fire is quickly put out if, for whatever reason, the other methods that are installed are not working. 

With these four tips, you can make your restaurant safe from the most common type of emergency restaurants deal with. This is not only important for your business, but also for your guests and staff. With all of these things in place, you are also going to find that the damage cleanup is easier and thus allows you to open back up more quickly. For further assistance, have a professional inspect the safety of your restaurant to be sure that all fire protection is put in place properly and thoroughly. 

Check out a website like http://www.nwfireinc.com for more assistance.