Fire Suppression System Inspection

Your hood’s wet chemical fire suppression system (Ansul and similar systems) is the last line of defense if a grease fire starts on the cook line. It’s designed to detect heat, shut off fuel and electrical supply to the cooking equipment, and discharge extinguishing agent automatically — but only if it’s been kept clear of grease and debris that could keep it from firing correctly.

What the system protects

The suppression system covers the appliances most likely to start a grease fire — fryers, griddles, ranges, and charbroilers under the hood — with nozzles positioned over each one, tied to a detection line that runs to fusible links above the cooking surface.

What’s checked during an inspection

We inspect the nozzles for grease buildup or blockage, check the piping and detection line, verify the fusible links are intact and not coated in grease, confirm the fuel shutoff and remote pull station work, and check the system’s current test date and tag.

The six-month requirement

NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A require wet-chemical suppression systems to be inspected at least every six months, regardless of how often the kitchen actually cooks. It’s one of the most consistently enforced fire code items a fire marshal checks, and one of the easiest to let lapse without noticing.

What happens after

Every inspection updates your system’s service tag and produces a report you can keep on file — the documentation a fire marshal or insurance carrier will ask to see. If we find something that needs certified suppression service beyond a routine inspection, we’ll flag it clearly so it gets handled before it becomes a bigger problem.

Who this is for

Any commercial kitchen with a hood-mounted wet-chemical suppression system over the cook line — this applies whether you’re a single-location restaurant or managing suppression inspections across multiple kitchens.