HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-01-18; Commercial Kitchen Fire Prevention and Safety Education Program (Districts - All); Calderwood, Michaeli o the members of the:
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January 18, 2024
Council Memorandum
To:
From:
Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council
Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief
Via: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2024005
Re: Commercial Kitchen Fire Prevention and Safety Education Program (Districts -All}
This memorandum provides information related t o the Fire Department's Restau ran t Fire Safety
Program.
Background
The Fire Depart ment has performed annual fire inspect ions of all apartment buildings, hotels,
motels, lodging houses and school sit es since 2018, in accordance with the State mandate found
in Health & Safety Code Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3. These mandated inspections, however,
do not address all occupancies or risks throughout the city, leaving t he expectation to ensure
safe operation and Fire Code compliance up to the individual business owners. Although many
businesses do their best to operate safely, many are unaware that t heir actions, or lack thereof,
put employees and customers at a higher risk when codes and regulations are not met.
Over the past year, cities throughout the North Zone have experienced an increase in restaurant
fires that originated in the kitchen area and caused considerable damage, and in some cases
long-term closure of the businesses. In Carlsbad alone, the city has experienced kitchen fires in
Gonzo Ramen, Mikko Sushi, and most recently Ember & Rye. All these fires were attributed to
improper maintenance of t he kitchen hood and fire protection equipment.
Discussion
To address t hese ongoing concerns, the Carlsbad Fire Department's Community Risk Reduction
(CRR) Bureau has initiat ed an educat ional outreach program for all restaurants in the city, aimed
at informing them how to best maintain kitchen cooking equipment and prepare them in the
event of a fire. This new program titled the "Commercial Kit chen Fire Prevention and Safet y
Education Program", is the first in a new series of community risk reduction offerings that will be
part of t he Fire Department's "Firesafe, Carlsbad" initiative, which aims to address various risks
throughout our community, and provide steps t hat can be taken to mitigate t hose risks.
As part of this educational program, the Fire Department's CRR Bureau has produced four videos
t hat will be available for on line viewing by all restaurant owners, managers and kitchen staff, and
to provide on-demand education t hat can be viewed whenever a new employee is hired.
Fire Department
2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 442-339-2141 t
Council Memo -New Restaurant Fire Safety Program
January 18, 2024
Page 2
The four videos will cover the following topics:
1.Preventing Fires Through Proper Cleaning & Maintenance
2.Understanding Your Hood and Fire Protection Systems
3.How to Use a Fire Extinguisher in a Kitchen Setting
4.What to do When a Fire Occurs
CRR staff will also provide in-person training on these topics to any restaurant interested in
hosting a site visit with CRR inspectors. Hands-on training will be provided to participants using
the Fire Department's new virtual fire extinguisher prop. This prop virtually scans the
restaurant's kitchen area, allowing them to simulate extinguishing a fire in the kitchen layout
they are actually working in. Restaurants have already expressed interest in this program, and
this training will be voluntary.
CRR staff have worked closely with our new Fire Public Information Officer to create effective
social media posts marketing the program, as well as to create printed material that can be used
throughout the city's various commercial centers by property managers, to encourage
participation. As part of the on-site visits, CRR Inspectors will also be evaluating kitchen
extinguishing and hood systems to ensure that they are being properly maintained by licensed
fire protection contractors at six-month intervals, as required by the California Fire Code.
Next Steps
CRR staff have created a new web page, Firesafe Carlsbad, which has been added to the Carlsbad
Fire Department's "Fire & Life Safety" page on the city website. This page includes links to all four
videos that have been produced.
Carlsbad Village Faire has offered to pilot the on-site training program, with their restaurants
participating in the next month. CRR staff will then visit all restaurants to provide printed and
branded material containing QR codes to access the on line videos, as well as schedule in-person
training for all restaurant staff.
Initial training is expected to extend throughout 2024 for over 300 Carlsbad restaurant locations
and then become an on-demand program available for scheduling as part of the "Fire Safe,
Carlsbad" initiative. The Fire Department will recognize participating restaurants by providing a
certificate and window sticker for display, should they choose to.
The Commercial Kitchen Fire Prevention and Safety Education Program is being provided to the
Carlsbad restaurant community at no cost to them, to encourage businesses to put community
safety first, within their establishment.
cc: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Nick Ordille, Assistant Fire Chief
Randy Metz, Division Chief -Fire Marshal
Darcy Davidson, Assistant Fire Marshal