CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- School kitchens around West Virginia are out of compliance with state fire code and will require several hundred thousand dollars worth of upgrades over the next few years, fire commission officials say.
Kanawha County Superintendent Ron Duerring asked in a letter to the state fire marshal for two to three years to get the county into compliance instead of making all the changes during the next year. He estimated the county might have to pay up to $120,000 annually for the next several years to make all the necessary upgrades in schools.
The major problem is with the fire suppression systems atop school kitchen stoves.
Officials say there is no immediate danger - the current systems will put out fires. But many of them rely on outdated materials that couldn't quickly be replaced if they were used to put out a blaze. That could potentially leave school cooks without a full kitchen and put school officials in a tight spot financially.
When a fire starts on the stove, a suppression system - which fits inside the exhaust hood over the stove - cuts electric or gas to the unit and releases chemicals to put out the fire.
Right now, most systems in Kanawha County are 25 to 30 years old, officials say. When they are set off, a dry powder falls down on the stove to put out flames.
The new standard, however, is a wet gel that is designed to put out fires from hotter-burning cooking oils. Because of nutritional guidelines, schools in the state don't typically use those types of oils or deep fryers.
But fire officials say companies can't or won't service the old system or replace the powder, largely because fire code has mandated gel systems.
If a blaze were to occur, kitchen staff wouldn't be able to use the stoves until they were repaired, and that could take awhile.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- School kitchens around West Virginia are out of compliance with state fire code and will require several hundred thousand dollars worth of upgrades over the next few years, fire commission officials say.
Kanawha County Superintendent Ron Duerring asked in a letter to the state fire marshal for two to three years to get the county into compliance instead of making all the changes during the next year. He estimated the county might have to pay up to $120,000 annually for the next several years to make all the necessary upgrades in schools.
The major problem is with the fire suppression systems atop school kitchen stoves.
Officials say there is no immediate danger - the current systems will put out fires. But many of them rely on outdated materials that couldn't quickly be replaced if they were used to put out a blaze. That could potentially leave school cooks without a full kitchen and put school officials in a tight spot financially.
When a fire starts on the stove, a suppression system - which fits inside the exhaust hood over the stove - cuts electric or gas to the unit and releases chemicals to put out the fire.
Right now, most systems in Kanawha County are 25 to 30 years old, officials say. When they are set off, a dry powder falls down on the stove to put out flames.
The new standard, however, is a wet gel that is designed to put out fires from hotter-burning cooking oils. Because of nutritional guidelines, schools in the state don't typically use those types of oils or deep fryers.
But fire officials say companies can't or won't service the old system or replace the powder, largely because fire code has mandated gel systems.
If a blaze were to occur, kitchen staff wouldn't be able to use the stoves until they were repaired, and that could take awhile.
Officials in Kanawha County expect to spend several hundred thousand dollars replacing their systems over the next three years, said Tim Easterday, the school system's director of purchasing.
Putnam County finished replacing its systems before the start of school last year. It spent $55,000 over two years in its 22 schools. The cost per school was about $2,500.
"Some places were told about it earlier," assistant state fire marshal Rudy Raynes said. "Some places chose to be proactive. Some chose to wait until they ran out."
Kanawha County has known about the problem for about a year but did not realize inspectors would require the dry powder to be replaced so quickly, Easterday said. That's created an unforeseen expense for the county, he said.
About 65 of the county's 72 or so fire systems are out of compliance, Easterday said.
Duerring said replacing the systems is another constraint on the school system's budget, along with higher fuel costs and inflation.
Joe Leake, a deputy state fire marshal, said although most counties in the state still need to replace their suppression systems, a few have begun the process.
Contact writer Ry Rivard at ry.riv...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1796.
