KIDDE Fire Systems WHDR™ Wet Chemical System for Commercial Kitchens

The kitchen is the heart and soul of every dining establishment. Equipped with ranges, broilers, fryers, and a variety of other high-temperature cooking appliances, no environment demands proper fire protection more than today’s modern commercial cooking facilities. Whether it’s Fine Dining or Shopping Mall Food Courts, they all share the same inherent risk of cooking appliance fires.

In November 2023, WorkSafe ACT advised that in the preceding months, they had seen a concerning trend in dangerous incidents of uncontrolled fires in commercial kitchens.

In one event a fire had been ignited by oil in the kitchen. The use of water was used to extinguish the fire. Introducing water promoted the fire to gain momentum resulting in an emergency evacuation and emergency services response. The fire caused significant damage to property, as well as posing serious health and safety risks to employees and public.

In order to protect the kitchen, the broader building asset and individuals Kidde Australia continues to supply the WHDR™ system, compliant with UL 300, the equivalent Australian standard AS 3772, and designed for the challenging demands posed by cooking applications. The WHDR™ offers automatic 24-Hour protection for all types of cooking facilities and appliance configurations.

A pre-engineered solution, it is one of the most flexible system configurations in the industry. It provides efficient, economical protection for all types of cooking, and Kidde’s customized approach allows you to specify the type of detection, control and cylinder sizes to fit your application.

Kidde Australia’s commitment to continuous improvement has recently achieved notable UL300 approvals that enhance the WHDR™ system’s flexible system configurations, further facilitating customized solutions.

• January 2025 New WHDR™ Kitchen Fire Suppression System Coverage for Obstructed Fryers. Includes protection for specific model Henny Penny movable-hinge style pressure fryers, and for any fixed-hinge style fryers.
• March 2025 New WHDR™ Overlapping Coverage. The overlapping option offers increased flexibility of appliance changes for customers, combined with simplified design and faster installation.
• April 2025 New WHDR™ Flexible Agent Discharge Hose. It can be used for connection of the system piping to a fixed nozzle on a castered appliance, allowing the appliance to be rolled out for cleaning and maintenance without the need to disconnect the fire suppression system piping, or it could be installed directly to a cylinder discharge outlet. The approval allows up to 6 hoses that can be used on each WHDR system and can be installed almost anywhere in the pipe network where flexibility is needed.

To learn more, visit kidde.com.au or contact your local Kidde Australia sales representative.

Or connect with Kidde Australia on LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/company/kidde-australia