Kitchen exhaust and gas connections should be near the top of a restaurant client’s risk management agenda. Improperly maintained kitchen exhaust systems are a common cause of restaurant fires, wrote Larry Anderson, editor of TheBigRedGuide.com , in a recent article. This is because grease can accumulate in kitchen exhaust systems, Anderson suggested in Preventing Restaurant Fires Requires Maintenance And Technology . There is a risk that when hot smoke and steam passes through the ventilation system, this can cause grease to ignite. “Grease traps should be properly emptied and cleaned or they will catch fire,” Anderson wrote. Kitchen fires are just one source of attritional losses that commercial underwriters are noticing in the hospitality industry, said Gary Hirst, CEO of managing general agent CHES Special Risk, in an earlier interview. Hirst was commenting in the context of the difficulties some hospitality clients — such as restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, motels, and event venu