Gwangju Bukbu Fire Station Urges Installation of 'Class K Fire Extinguishers' for Kitchen Fire Preparedness

K-Class Fire Extinguisher Poster. Photo by Gwangju Bukbu Fire Station

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] Gwangju Bukbu Fire Station (Chief Kim Hee-chul) announced on the 13th that it urges the placement of one or more 'Class K fire extinguishers' to prepare for kitchen fires caused by animal and vegetable oils (such as cooking oil) in kitchens of restaurants and other establishments.

The 'Class K fire extinguisher' is a fire extinguisher suitable for extinguishing kitchen fires. It forms an oil barrier during fires caused by animal and vegetable oils (such as cooking oil), lowers the temperature of the cooking oil, cuts off oxygen supply, and effectively responds to kitchen fires.

In 2017, the law was amended to mandate the installation of Class K fire extinguishers through the 'Fire Safety Standards for Fire Extinguishing Equipment and Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems (NFSC 101)'.

The installation targets are kitchens in restaurants, multi-use facilities, hotels, dormitories, facilities for the elderly and disabled, medical facilities, office buildings, factories, funeral homes, educational and research facilities, correctional and military facilities, and at least one Class K fire extinguisher must be installed.

Heo Seong-gu, head of the Prevention General Team, said, "Unlike general fire extinguishers, Class K fire extinguishers are specialized for suppressing oil fires," and added, "We hope that kitchens with heavy use of cooking oils will equip Class K fire extinguishers to help create a safe environment."

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