Facilities are highly encouraged to follow guidance to reduce chance of kitchen fires.
Commercial and household cooking equipment require frequent cleaning. While it may seem cleaning up grease is as easy as wiping down a cooking top, other areas such as the internal components, especially under and around the burners, are just as important. Grease will rapidly build up on the components and cause or add to the intensity of a fire. Setting up cleaning checklists with daily, weekly and monthly maintenance schedules will help to ensure a safe kitchen. Commercial and household cooking equipment and components such as ovens, ranges, fryers, ventilation hoods, grease traps, grease drip pans, heating elements, ignitors, fans and controls, are just some of the areas prone to grease accumulation.
Even with clean equipment kitchen fires can still occur! Ensure your staff are trained on how to properly extinguish a fire of any origin (grease, electric, plastic, wood, clothes, etc.). Visit the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for more information on fire prevention: Top fire causes (nfpa.org)
Contact the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance (HCQC) Environmental Health program at EHSHCQC@health.nv.gov with questions or for further resources.
For more updates about medical and health-related facility licensure, visit the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance blog site.