Commercial kitchens need to meet often stringent fire codes and standards to maintain safe operation in their kitchens and stay open to the public. These standards include NFPA 96, which details fire safety standards for cooking equipment, particularly exhaust equipment in commercial facilities. What is the standard, and how can you meet it? 

What is NFPA 96? 

NFPA 96 is the “Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations.” Released by the National Fire Protection Agency, the standard provides the minimum fire safety requirements, both preventative and operation, related to the design, installation, operation, inspection, and maintenance of all public and private cooking operations. 

The scope of the NFPA details standards for commercial cooking equipment and residential cooking equipment used for commercial purposes. The equipment includes: 

1. Exhaust hoods and fans 
2. Exhaust ductwork and dampers 
3. Grease removal devices 
4. Fire-extinguishing equipment, 
5. Auxiliary or ancillary components or systems that are involved in the capture, containment, and control of grease-laden cooking effluent. 

Notable Standards from NFPA 96 

Two major provisions of note for commercial kitchens regarding NFPA 96 are: 

1. Section 4.2 of NFPA 96 details that ducts and exhaust hoods are required to have a minimum clearance of 18 inches to combustible material, 3 inches to limited-combustible material, and 0 inches to noncombustible material. 
2. Owners are responsible for the installation, cleaning, maintenance, and inspection of their kitchen hoods, exhaust systems, and other cooking equipment. 

How DCKV Systems Help Prevent Commercial Kitchen Fires and Meet NFPA 96 

Melink Intelli-Hood® helps you maintain compliance with NFPA 96 standards with simple and compliant installation, easy maintenance and cleaning, and full-service support of your system after it is installed. We offer 24/7 staff support, a global technician network, and preventative maintenance and monitoring. 

Demand control kitchen ventilation systems (DCKV) like Melink Intelli-Hood® also enhance fire safety in commercial kitchens by automatically detecting when the exhaust air temperature is too high. They can alert you to high air temperature, allowing you to correct the issue before it becomes a fire hazard. 

Intelli-Hood® is also a temperature and optic sensor DCKV system. While some DCKV systems only use temperature sensors, activating the exhaust fans when higher temperatures are detected, Intelli-Hood® uses optic technology to recognize cooking effluent as well as increased temperatures. This allows the exhaust system to be more accurate and on top of venting out smoke, effluent, and hot air, creating a safer cooking environment that is less prone to fire hazards. 

Create a Safer Cooking Environment and Save Some Money! 

Intelli-Hood® can help you create a better, safer cooking environment for your kitchen staff, and it can also save you money by cutting down on your energy bills, too! To see the cost-savings capabilities of DCKV systems like Intelli-hood®, read more here. 

Interested in DCKV? Find out how the system can pay for itself by getting in touch with Melink today!