ABOVE: Pictures from 10/14/08 inspection in Mid South above char broiler system
Hey out there to all restaurant folk and greasers. On the inspection and speaking trail again in the mid south and Florida. Spoke to a large group for the Florida Hospital dietitian managers at the Sarasota General Hospital in Florida today. I was invited by Doug Schueller from Bentley Resources out of Bradenton. Bentley has a proper picture program in place and wanted to work with us to verify that they are doing the right job and are taking all the proper steps to verify that they are on top of each and every job output. Now, after the presentation, many of the hospital personnel realize what they are facing and that out of sight must never be out of mind. We went over both proper job verifications and documentations along with IKECA certifications for companies. I asked them how quickly they could evacuate a hospital in the event of a catastrophic grease fire. The answers were not very encouraging for those staying at hospitals and the managers all wanted to know what measures they could take to prevent that from happening. We went over the National inspection picture program and how to implement it on a local level for each facility. I went over how to make sure their cleaners have a proper picture program and will be assisting them in making sure their facilities are getting their jobs done to NFPA96 standards every time!! We stresses that inaccessible areas cannot ever be permitted to exist in a hospital setting (or any facility for that matter) Things for very promising for the people of Florida in the near future for their safety in these hospitals. We can only hope that all the other states follow suit. I was in the mid south doing inspections and have attached pictures of a job that was cleaned a little over a month ago. I made a detailed report that this most likely is many years of grease and there are clear areas where the cleaning stopped. There was over 100 feet of horizontal above a boiler in a downtown area. There sure looks like more than enough fuel in the system to overload any suppression system. The greasy cardboard on top of the duct above the hood was an added danger that needs to be addressed. Make sure to always check for leakage and flammable items above the ceilings as those areas are beyond the fire suppression system's coverage area and are out of sight if they light up. Have fun and keep on preaching the gospel on safe exhaust systems!! Always feel free to get ahold of me if you have questions on a proper quality control program for your facility or company.