Are the panels in your food truck fire resistant? Fire proof? Or a fire hazard? In this blog we discuss the differences. You may find your truck is NOT covered by insurance in case of fire…
As more people see the advantages of moving from bricks and mortar to mobile, safety and insurance premiums become part of the conversation. Typically, insurance policies are written on risk and when using open flame cooking equipment in confined spaces – including in normal bricks and mortar buildings – fire is a potential hazard.
The key difference between many prebuilt trailers and kits that are imported from overseas and assembled in Australia, and some trucks and trailers that are designed and built in Australia, is material quality. Many imported units are built to different standards and the heavy duty, Bella Manufacturing built Trucks and Trailers are made to exceed standards.
The prevalence of minimum standard units has led insurers to ask questions about the materials that comprise a mobile catering unit. When those materials meet only minimum standards, risk calculations must consider the potential for a fire that burns at both minimum and maximum safety levels and then price premiums accordingly.
As an example, the internal lining of the body of a trailer, truck or shipping container is made with a 50mm thick insulated cool room panel. As with most products, there are very different varieties of quality and fire-resistance panel available. The standard imported units (and several small Australian builders) is the minimum standard, that contains a chemical called ‘EPS’, which has a poor to non existent fire rating.
At Bella Manufacturing, we take safety seriously, and use the maximum safety standard product called XFLAM which is highly fire resistant. Bella Manufacturing fitouts with LPG appliances also include as standard, an emergency LPG shut off button to immediately cut off the gas supply in the event of an emergency.
Using the maximum fire-resistant products minimises the risk of a fire quickly getting out of control and burning your business to the ground and potentially left uninsured. A smaller fire that can be contained obviously has very different costs to a catastrophic event.
Buying at maximum safety standard understandably has more cost upfront. It also offers less risk of unit loss from accidents; or the chance of insurers refusing to cover accidents because of the lower quality materials in use.
Every kitchen, mobile or not, has risk of fire. Building locally to maximum fire safety standard minimises this potential, offering security for both the owner and the insurance company. Safety is a priority for Bella Manufacturing and is why we choose to build at the maximum safety level – just one of the many reasons building locally has massive advantages.
We understand this has a financial cost, but here is more product information:
– Available for interiors, exteriors, facades, roofing and ceiling applications.
– Ideal for any application that requires a fire safe, mechanically strong building product.
– High thermal performance makes it an ideal insulated panel product for food processing facilities, distribution centres, cool rooms and freezers.
– 100% recyclable, easy and fast to install
– Has undergone multiple testing and approvals making it easy for you to insure while also giving peace of mind that you have an approved and conforming building product.
– Fire rating up to 120 min (FRL /120 / 90)
– Thermal performance (R Values up to 8.0+)
– Continuous insulation eliminating thermal bridging
– Sound absorption with excellent acoustic ratings (Rw 25)
– Robust and durable building envelope
– Reduction of structural support
– Warranty up to 36 years
– FM Approval for insurance and peace of mind
– Product compliance with the NCC and AS-NZ Standards
FM Testing includes:
• FM Approved – 4471 Roofing Systems
• FM Approved – 4880 Internal Walls and Ceilings
• FM Approved – 4881 Exterior Wall Systems
• FM Approved – 4882 Smoke Sensitive Occupancies
Use think link for more information: