There now will be a “responsible person” appointed to maintain a Fire Safety record, who must be able to prove that provisions for Fire Safety and Prevention have been met. This is the order as set out by the Fire Safety Order 2005. Traditionally, this incites“responsible persons” to install fire extinguishers, fire doors and escapes etc, and in most cases, the Kitchen extract system would rarely be considered as a potential source of fire.

In fact, the grease particles in a Kitchen extract system accumulate to produce a very real risk of fire. Not only that, the extract often penetrates deep within a building; which means the risk of fire spreading from the kitchen is that much greater. Accumulated grease within an extract system forms a hidden combustion load. Under certain circumstances flame or very high temperature within the duct can ignite the grease causing fire to spread rapidly through the duct. Flame and heat within the duct can ignite surrounding materials at various points along the ductwork path and transfer fire in ways that are difficult to predict and control by designers, installers and ultimately fire fighters.

The need for specialist cleaning of extract systems will depend on the level of usage of the cooking equipment, types and quantity of cooking and other risk factors such as vulnerability of the system to ignition and of the building and its occupant/users to system fire, hygiene, vermin and mechanical hazards. Typical cleaning intervals are shown in the table below: