Fire marshal wants stricter rules on grease
Uniform system would be put on cleaning firms
The state fire marshal wants to impose a strict regulatory system on commercial grease-cleaning companies to prevent the type of restaurant fire that killed two Boston firefighters in West Roxbury last year.
The new code would have to be adopted by a 13-member state fire safety board. If approved, it would affect how grease is cleaned at thousands of restaurants across the state. It also would make Massachusetts the first state to set up a mandatory certification system for the niche business, which is essentially unregulated now.
Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said the plan is a direct response to last year's tragedy, in which Boston Firefighters Paul J. Cahill and Warren J. Payne died Aug. 29 in a fire fueled by built-up grease in the kitchen exhaust system at the Tai Ho Mandarin and Cantonese Restaurant on Centre Street.
"It's very hard when firefighters die to find the silver lining, but hopefully we can prevent another Tai Ho restaurant fire from happening," Coan said last week. "I believe very much in this initiative, and we're going to make it happen."
The Globe reported after the fire that the lack of regulation of the grease-removal industry has meant that almost anyone with a power washer can go into business cleaning restaurant grease traps and vents, even though the job must be done right to avoid a potentially dangerous build-up.
In Massachusetts last year there were 313 restaurant fires, which caused $9.8 million in damages and 29 injuries, plus the two deaths in the Tai Ho fire. Sixty percent of those fires involved cooking equipment, but the statistics do not reflect how many were grease fires.
Under Coan's proposed new regulations, grease-cleaning companies and their employees would have to undergo training and receive certification from the state fire marshal's office to do business in the Commonwealth. Coan's office would maintain a list of certified cleaners, and restaurant owners would be required to hire from the list or face penalties.
Grease-removal industry members say they would welcome the new code, though some were reluctant to endorse it without reading it first.
"In general, it's a good thing," said Glenn Fellman, executive vice president of the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaners Association. "What happened in Boston was so tragic and so easily prevented."
State fire codes must be adopted by the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations before taking effect. Coan, a member of the board, hopes to have the regulation in place by next year.
The City of Boston passed a similar measure in May requiring training and certification of grease removal companies and their employees hired by city restaurants beginning next year. Coan said he has been working with Boston officials in putting together the statewide code.
"I applaud the [fire marshal] and hope the state moves quickly on this," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who introduced Boston's new law.
Massachusetts fire code requires that restaurants regularly have their exhaust ducts cleaned by a "properly trained, qualified, and certified company or person." But local fire officials are left to determine what constitutes a qualified cleaner and certifications are virtually never checked.
"We have 351 cities and towns defining what's acceptable and we need some uniformity," Coan said.
According to Boston fire officials, regulating the industry is a larger undertaking than they originally believed.
There are about 1,600 eating and drinking establishments in the city, most of which have commercial kitchens. It is unclear how many grease removal companies exist to serve them, but officials suspect there are hundreds, varying from tiny, one- and two-man outfits to large companies that handle restaurant chains.
Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said the city's fire marshal has been meeting weekly with representatives from the city's health and building departments. They are now deciding what elements would be included in the required training - whether it would be a hands-on course or something offered online, exactly what it would cover, and how it would be provided.
The biggest obstacle at this point, MacDonald said, is finding a school or trade program willing to offer training and certification tests at a reasonable price. There are two national organizations that offer certification, the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association and the Power Washers Association of North America, but both charge more than Boston officials think is reasonable. "It's all in the thousands," MacDonald said.
The state fire marshal said he is aware of the challenges but determined to overcome them. Coan said he does not know how much the new regulations will cost to administer, but believes his department can launch a program without additional money. The state Department of Fire Services already regulates and certifies explosives technicians and runs the state Fire Academy in Stow.
Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com. 