When you think of the best food and restaurants on the planet, you really don’t need to look any further than our own city – NYC. Tourists and residents alike are drawn to the magnificent food served on just about every block - food from literally all of over the world. Eating and drinking establishments not only serve on an entertainment level, but they also major contributors to a bustling local economy. Restaurant owners have a lot to think about when it comes to their business, including the safety of their patrons and employees. Numerous fires take place in eating and drinking establishments every year, and knowing some facts behind those occurrences can help prevent them in the future.
The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) are masters at all things fire prevention and provide us with so much valuable information in order to stay safe from fires. They recently published a study regarding fires that took place from 2010 - 2014 in eating and drinking establishments. In this study, the NFPA presents details from fires that were reported to the local fire departments, and below you can see what they found.
During the report time period (2010 - 2014), each year, approximately 7410 fires were reported to the local fire departments. During this time period, there was $165 million in property damage every year, along with 110 civilian injuries and 3 civilian deaths.
As far as the causes of these fires and the damages that were incurred as a result, here is a summary of some of those details:
Cooking Equipment: The cause of 61% of fires, 38% of property damage
Electrical Distribution and Lighting: The cause of 9% of fires, 21% of property damage
Heating Equipment: The cause of 9% of fires, 9% of property damage
Smoking Materials: The cause of 7% of fires, 7% of property damage
We can conclude from these statistics that cooking equipment and electric issues were the major contributors to fires in eating and drinking establishments. The NFPA also provided some more details in regards to this: deep fryers contributed to 21% of the cooking equipment fires, and stovetops were the culprit in 14% of fires in that category as well. In 43% of the fires, cooking materials were the first things to ignite.
Another very telling piece of information that the NFPA provided was that not cleaning properly was a contributing factor in 22% of the fires.
By looking at this report and these statistics, what can we learn? First, while incidents of loss of life and injury were relatively low, there was still a significant amount of property damage – millions of dollars each year. While cooking equipment and electrical issues were the catalysts for most fires, they were still able to spread and cause tremendous damage.
One method of containing fires in eating and drinking establishments is through the flameproofing process. Treating decorative items with fire retardants can prevent the spread of fire and can reduce the intensity and severity should one occur. Treated materials are not combustible and will not contribute to the spread of fire. Flameproofing contains the fire and allows time for customers and workers to safely exit as well as provides time for the fire department to respond before the fire rages out of control, limiting the loss of life and property.
If you are a business owner in the eating and drinking industry in New York City, we would be pleased to help protect your business from fires through our flameproofing treatments. We have been serving all 5 boroughs and the Greater NYC area for over 50 years. If you have questions or need a free, no-obligation quote, please call us today! 800-590-5530