Get Your Fire Safety Sorted Before Bank Holiday Weekend

Barbecued and smoked dishes have become all the rage with British consumers, whether they head to the upmarket barbecue-smokehouse eatery on the high street to enjoy them, or buy them direct from a meat and fish smokehouse.

The craze for barbecued and smoked food started in the USA, but quickly spread to the UK, which has already been celebrating National Barbecue Week for many years and where this annual food event will again tickle the taste buds between May 28 and June 3. But, as the legendary Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas can testify, there are real risks associated with cooking by flame. This iconic eatery suffered a fire that was possibly caused when Hurricane Harvey whipped up embers from the barbecue pit, to set the whole venue alight. The dismayed owners sent out a warning to others, saying “Anyone who cooks with fire, the way we do, is kidding themselves if they don’t think this is a possibility.” One person who can endorse that is celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, whose Barbacoa barbecue and smokehouse eatery suffered a 2013 fire, when the extraction system’s ducting set alight. Find out about Ascend here This barbecue season, food manufacturers and restaurants cooking with a real flame must be alert, checking ventilation systems, ensuring embers cannot reach combustible materials and watching out for food fat that could set alight. Buying catering equipment that safely collects fat from dripping meats is a great idea, but operators also need to light charcoal correctly and not add substances such as lighter-fuel. These are not the only fire risks and all need to be considered and insured against, whether you are a smokehouse serving over a counter, or a chef plating up smoked and barbecued food for diners. Making sure you have the right insurance in place, as well as carrying out your legal obligations by conducting a fire risk assessment, is absolutely key. If you are not sure how to comply with fire regulations and buy insurance protection, please just get in touch. Visit our Commercial Sector to find out more.   Ascend Broking 01245 449060