Ed Chivers, global product and certifications director, Reacton sheds light on curbing the dangers of home fires starting in the kitchen

The threat of residential fires cannot be ignored with the serious risk to lives that they bring and structural damage they can cause. Around 60% of residential fires in the UK start in the kitchen. Cooking at home is the largest cause of fire and injury in residential properties.

The home is full of distractions that can quickly allow an unattended hot cooking pan to turn into a large fire bringing devastation to your property. Unfortunately, the issue in question is frequently overlooked due to the lack of a consistent solution, however the solution lies with automatic fire suppression.

Traditional methods of fire protection such as extinguishers and fire blankets require the presence of a person to tackle the fire, however, Reacton’s fire suppression system is automatic. Reacton’s automatic kitchen fire suppression systems are extremely easy to install and highly effective due to their rapid knockdown capabilities. The auto-ignition of oil is the most common cause of kitchen fires; combined with the existing heat, this dramatically increases the threat of a rapid spreading fire.

When the detection tube detects a fire, it will burst which causes the pressure in the system to drop, the cylinder will release the suppressant agent to extinguish the fire. The suppressant agent that we use in our kitchen systems is Class F wet chemical. The advantages of using Class F wet chemical include its rapid knockdown capabilities and its coverage to eliminate the fire and to prevent reignition. The Class F Wet Chemical uses materials that react with the burning oil creating a heat resistant crust on top of the cooking oil surface, preventing the flammable vapours reacting with oxygen.

Reacton’s fully automatic fire suppression systems knock down fires within seconds, minimal clean up means you can quickly get back to your normal day without incurring the huge devastation to your property that an unprotected kitchen would bring.

This is a system which has been proven to be extremely effective in residential kitchens, over 1000 Reacton Fire Suppression kitchen systems have been installed across the UK alone, with many of these being installed in various student accommodations.

Residential fires spread at a dangerous rate which can quickly turn a small fire into a life-threatening situation. In apartments and confined living areas the risk is greater due to the potentially higher egress time. Therefore, rapid fire suppression serves exponential importance to save lives, minimise damage and protect homes. Our systems require no electrical power to operate and to protect your home, providing 24/7 protection.

For more information on Reacton Fire Suppression products, please get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected] or call us on + 44 (0)800 0306526.