FIRE

• DO NOT attempt to reopen the facility until a site visit has been conducted by an Environmental Health Specialist.
• The fire department will notify the health department that a fire has occurred at your facility. A site visit will be conducted by a representative of the Health Department to assess damage and discuss any food safety concerns.
  • • NOTE: If the fire has been contained to a certain portion of the restaurant, it may be possible for the restaurant to remain open with limited food service.
• A list of tasks, similar to an inspection report, will be given to the owner/operator. Once ALL these tasks have been completed, contact the Health Department to schedule a follow-up inspection. If you have been ordered to cease operation, DO NOT attempt to re-open until a site visit can be conducted.

Salvaging and Food Disposal:

• If fire extinguisher fluid, soot, or ANSUL liquid is present on the exterior of any food item container(opened/unopened), discard the product. Some food items may be salvageable after reconditioning, please see requirements below. See Food Salvage Guidelines
• Sort the salvageable items from the non-salvageable items.
  • Properly dispose of non-salvageable foods.
  • Remove all non-salvageable food and place in a closed lid refuse container. Small amounts of waste can be denatured by pouring liquid bleach directly on the food items.
  • For large quantities of waste, contact your waste hauler to schedule an emergency pick-up
  • Foods that must be kept within the facility until a credit can be redeemed by the supplier MUST be labeled “Do Not Use”
  • Refrigerated foods may be kept in the walk-in cooler as long as the items are stored away from other foods and visibly labeled “Do Not Use”
• Discard any single service (paper cups, plastic silverware, etc) in the affected area.

Assess the impacts on:

• Structure of the building
• Equipment
• Natural Gas – In most cases, the fire department will turn off the gas for safety reasons. Contact with the gas company may be required.

Equipment:

• Are all electrical appliances operating properly?
  • If no, contact maintenance. If damage is beyond repair, remove from facility.
  • If yes, clean the unit using a sanitizing solution containing between 50-200ppm of liquid bleach
  • Be sure that all refrigeration units are maintained 41o F and freezers below 0o F before stocking new food items.
• Assess the condition of non-electrical equipment
  • If the equipment is unusable, remove from facility.

• Clean all non-food contact surfaces
  • Wipe all surfaces with a soap and water solution
    • THEN
  • Wipe all surface with a sanitizing solution containing 50-200ppm of liquid bleach (Be sure to have sanitizer test strips available for determining concentration)
• Wash, Rinse, and Sanitize all food contact surfaces that may have come into contact with extinguisher expellant or soot from fire. Acceptable means of sanitizing:
  • In the three compartment sink:

1st Compartment: Wash. Fill the basin with soap/detergent and hot water (minimum 110° F)

2nd Compartment: Rinse. Fill the basin with clean water. Run equipment through the water to remove cleaners and abrasives

3rd Compartment: Sanitize. Fill the basin with room temperature water (75o F) and sanitizer. Use test strips to determine appropriate concentration of sanitizer. Be sure that equipment is immersed in sanitizer for at least 30 seconds.

• Dish machine – Check gauges to determine the unit is operating properly (180F on final rinse is most crucial). If the unit is a chemical dish machine, use test strips to determine the concentration of sanitizer (50-200ppm of sodium hypchlorite)

Ice Machine:

• Although it may not be visible, ice located in both ice machine and ice bins, may have been contaminated even though the product was covered at the time the fire occurred.
• Follow these steps to effectively clean and sanitize the ice machine:

1. 1. 1. Empty the ice maker/bin of all its contents
      2. Wash the interior of the unit using warm water (minimum 110° F) and detergent.
      3. Rinse the interior of the ice machine using clean water.
      4. Sanitize the ice machine using a solution containing 50-200ppm chlorine bleach.
      5. Repeat wash and rinse steps

Cleaning Companies:

• It is acceptable for the facility to contact cleaning service providers to conduct extensive cleaning of the facility.

! – Once the cleaning process and all tasks assigned by the Health Department have been completed, contact the Health Department at 217-373-7900 to schedule a site visit. If ordered to cease operations, do not re-open the establishment until approval has been given by an Environmental Health Specialist.