NFPA (NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION) is the leading fire protection organization in the world, worldwide recognized and a publisher for fire safety codes like the famous NFPA 13 for the fire sprinkler systems, NFPA 72 for fire alarm and NFPA 70 the national electrical code. The last one is used in the USA. The other codes along with many other NFPA codes are worldwide trusted.

NFPA 101 – LIFE SAFETY CODE is being used together with other codes, or solely by itself in more than 46 USA states.  According to this code, starting in 2015 edition and on, a UL300A suppression system (like KITCHEN FIRE STOP) is required for residential units with cooking appliances under “board and care occupancy” – new and existing buildings

What is “board and care occupancy”?

NFPA defines Residential Board and Care Occupancy to be “an occupancy used for lodging and boarding of four or more residents, not related by blood or marriage to the owners or operators for the purpose of providing personal care services” Personal Care is defined: “the care of residents who do not require chronic or convalescent medical or nursing care”

NFPA 101 is widely used throughout the US states and counties. Sometimes the local county is using other building codes and add on sections of the NFPA 101 or the entire code.

Subject UL 300A is a standard used to verify that the residential kitchen suppression system is doing its work properly and contains: detection, manual operation as well as automatic, suppression and power shut off to the stove/cooktop when system goes off.

It contains a testing plan for various skillets and pans with different levels and types of oils.

It will test the system to its limits (width of stove, minimum and maximum distance stove top to range hood bottom).

It covers every potential grease fire to verify that the suppression system will detect and extinguish all fires. Also, to verify the fire will not re-ignite within 5 minutes.