BCAB #1378 - Ventilation of Kitchen in Church Hall, NFPA 96, Sentence 3.3.1.2.(2) & Article 6.2.2.6.

January 18, 1995

BCAB #1378

Re: Ventilation of Kitchen in Church Hall, NFPA 96, Sentence 3.3.1.2.(2) & Article 6.2.2.6.

Project Description

This appeal concerns the conversion of an existing unfinished church basement into a large multi-purpose room surrounded by some small classrooms, a library, a smaller multi-purpose room and a storage room. At one end of the large multi-purpose room is a servery kitchen with a domestic range.

Reason for Appeal

Sentence 3.3.1.2.(2) requires commercial cooking equipment used in processes producing grease-laden vapours to be designed and installed in conformance with Part 6. Article 6.2.2.6. requires systems for the ventilation of restaurant and other commercial cooking equipment to be designed, constructed and installed to conform to NFPA 96, "Installation of Equipment for the Removal of Smoke and Grease-Laden Vapours from Commercial Cooking Equipment".

Appellant's Position

The appellant contends that the servery range is not used for commercial purposes and is primarily for warming previously prepared foods. The frequency and scope of use of the servery is considerably less than that of a kitchen in a dwelling unit. Several previous appeals dealing with similar circumstances have ruled that ventilation equipment conforming to NFPA 96 was not required.

Building Official's Position

The building official maintains that the requirements of NFPA 96 apply to residential cooking equipment used in situations such as the servery and points to a formal interpretation from the NFPA which says that the standard applies to all cooking equipment other than that installed for residential use.

Appeal Board Decision #1378

It is the determination of the Board that the kitchen in question is not used for commercial purposes and, based on the description of its use, is unlikely to produce unsafe quantities of grease laden vapours. Therefore, the ventilation system is not required to conform to NFPA 96. As pointed out in Appeal #1372, the application of the requirements of NFPA 96 is determined by the Building Code, not by NFPA 96.

George R. Humphrey, Chair