Restaurant Grease Fire with Patrons Still Inside
At 19:45, a cook at a 60-seat restaurant calls. A pan of oil ignited on the range; flames are about 2 feet high and reaching the hood. He has not activated the hood suppression system. He wants to throw a bucket of water on the fire. About 20 patrons are still in the dining room, and staff have not begun evacuation. No one is injured. The restaurant is at 1120 Harbor Road, a single-story building attached to a strip mall. The caller says there is a dry-chemical extinguisher near the back door, but he has never used it. The hood is beginning to smoke, and the caller is shouting over the noise of the exhaust fan.
1. What immediate pre-arrival instructions do you give for the grease fire?
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First stop the water instruction: water on a hot oil fire can cause a violent steam explosion and throw burning oil. Tell him not to move the pan and not to carry it outside. If he can safely reach the burner control, turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a metal lid or a cookie sheet if one is within reach, then leave it covered and do not lift it. If he is trained and the extinguisher is a Class K or suitable dry-chemical unit, he may use it from a safe distance, but he should not delay evacuation to search for one. Activate the hood suppression system only if he knows how and can do so without exposing himself to flames. If flames are already in the hood, stop trying to fight the fire and get out. The priority is to keep the caller from making the fire worse.
2. What evacuation and dispatch instructions do you give?
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Tell the caller to begin evacuating the dining room immediately through the nearest exits, and have staff direct patrons away from the building and keep them out. Close doors behind them if it can be done without delay. Dispatch a structural fire response with EMS for a commercial kitchen fire at 1120 Harbor Road, a single-story restaurant attached to a strip mall. Include: approximately 20 patrons, grease fire on the range, flames reaching the hood, suppression not activated, caller advised not to use water. Ask whether the fire has extended into the hood or duct and whether anyone is unaccounted for. Do not let the caller finish extinguishing before evacuation; a grease fire can spread into the hood and duct quickly. Update units if the caller reports the fire is growing or patrons are still inside.
3. The caller reports flames are now inside the hood and duct. How does that change your instructions and the dispatch information?
Read the worked answer
A hood and duct fire is no longer a contained pan fire; it can spread vertically and into the roof assembly. Tell the caller to stop attempting to extinguish it, evacuate immediately, and close doors behind him if safe. Do not use a dry-chemical extinguisher into a duct if he is not trained, and do not advise him to climb onto the roof. Update responding units: fire extended into hood and duct, possible roof involvement, occupants evacuating, commercial occupancy attached to a strip mall. Ask whether smoke is coming from the roof or eaves, but do not send the caller to investigate. The response should reflect a structural fire, not just a kitchen fire, and the caller's safety takes priority over salvage.