Our standards & method.
What we measure against, how we document it, and what we do and don't claim.
What NFPA 96 requires.
NFPA 96 was adopted into the Ontario Fire Code in 2025, which makes it the legal minimum an inspector checks against, not optional guidance. It governs cleaning of a commercial kitchen's exhaust hood, canopy, ducts, and rooftop fan, with required frequency scaled to cooking volume — monthly for 24-hour/high-heat kitchens down to annually for low-volume operations.
CAN/ULC-S649.
CAN/ULC-S649 is the Canadian standard for cleaning of commercial kitchen exhaust systems, the reference point our method is built against alongside NFPA 96. We don't hold a third-party certification against it — see the disclaimer below — but our depth-gauge measurement and documentation approach follows its cleanliness threshold.
Our method, step by step.
Depth-gauge measurement
We measure grease deposit depth against the 0.078" (approx. 1/32") threshold used across the industry to define a surface as clean, before and after service.
Bare-metal strip
Canopy, plenum, and accessible duct surfaces are stripped to bare metal, not wiped down — a coating of grease left behind is still fuel for a fire.
Rooftop fan & access check
The fan housing is inspected and cleaned, and any structural blocker — a missing duct access panel or a fan with no hinge kit — is written up in the report rather than quietly worked around.
Photo-binder documentation
Every visit is photo-documented before and after, dated, and added to your on-site compliance binder alongside grease-trap hauler manifests.
Certificate & binder sample.
Sample compliance binder page
This is a sample showing our documentation format — not an actual completed job (that page is redacted and swapped in once we have one on file). Every real visit produces a dated page like this, handed to you on site.
Download sample (PDF) →What we don't claim.
Northfire Compliance is not affiliated with, certified by, or endorsed by NFPA, IKECA, ULC, or any other standards body. We measure and document against their published standards; we don't hold or advertise a third-party crew certification. If a certification matters for your specific compliance requirement, ask us directly and we'll tell you plainly whether we hold it.
See how this method translates to your kitchen's actual schedule. See what's included in every visit →
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- NFPA 96: Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations — nfpa.org