Protecting Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland businesses for over 40 years
Trusted since 1983 for fire extinguishers, restaurant suppression systems, stainless steel wall backing and exit lighting.
- Restaurants
- Commercial buildings
- Municipalities
- Local businesses
Fire Extinguisher Service
Sales, inspection, recharge and hydro testing for all brands of extinguisher.
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Exit & Emergency Lights
Sales, service and testing to keep your building code compliant.
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Restaurant Fire Suppression
Sales, installation, rework and service for all major suppression systems.
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Stainless Steel Wall Backing
Stainless panels behind the cooking line. Easy to clean, built for heat.
→A local company built on service and trust
Ried's Fire Equipment has more than 40 years of experience providing commercial fire protection to restaurants, businesses, municipalities and organizations throughout Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland.
Complete fire protection for your restaurant or commercial kitchen
From fire suppression systems to stainless wall backing and extinguishers, we keep your kitchen safe, code compliant and running without interruption.
A simple process to keep your business safe and compliant
- InspectWe assess your equipment and identify any issues.
- Service / InstallOur technicians perform the service or installation.
- DocumentYou get a dated tag and a record of the work.
- Stay compliantWe tell you when everything is next due.
Proudly serving Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana
Based in Lowell, Indiana, we provide fire protection services to businesses throughout Northwest Indiana and the south Chicago suburbs.
- Lowell, IN
- Cedar Lake
- Crown Point
- Merrillville
- Valparaiso
- South Chicago suburbs
- and surrounding communities
Sell. Service. Recharge. Hydro test.
Every brand of hand-held fire extinguisher, at your building or over the counter at our Lowell shop.
What we do
- New extinguishers sold and installed, with the right type and size for the hazard
- Annual maintenance and a dated service tag on every unit
- Recharge after any use, even a short burst
- Six-year internal maintenance and hydrostatic testing
- Class K extinguishers for commercial kitchens
- Walk-in drop-off at 17503 Grant St
How often does it need service?
These are the intervals in the federal workplace standard, OSHA 1910.157. Your local fire official may ask for more.
| What | How often | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Visual check | Every month | You or your staff |
| Maintenance and new tag | Every year | Our technician |
| Internal maintenance, stored-pressure dry chemical | Every 6 years | Our technician |
| Hydrostatic test, CO2 | Every 5 years | Our technician |
| Hydrostatic test, stored-pressure dry chemical | Every 12 years | Our technician |
Common questions
The gauge is in the green. Do I still need the yearly service?
Yes. The gauge only shows pressure. The yearly service checks the hose, pin, seal, weight and condition, and the tag is what an inspector looks for.
I used it for two seconds. Is it still good?
No. Once the valve opens it can leak down over the following days. Bring it in or call us for a recharge.
Recharge it or replace it?
Most commercial extinguishers are built to be recharged for years. Small disposable units are replaced. We'll tell you which you have.
Can I bring extinguishers to you?
Yes. Drop them at the shop Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30.
The system over your cooking line, installed and kept ready
Wet chemical systems for commercial kitchens and dry chemical systems for industrial hazards. We sell, install, rework, hydro test and service all brands.
New installs
We size the system to your hood and appliances, install it, and tie it to the gas or electric shutoff.
Rework
New fryer? Moved the grill? The nozzles have to match the line-up. We rework existing systems when the kitchen changes.
Six-month service
Fire standards call for kitchen systems to be serviced at least every six months. We test it, replace the fusible links and tag it.
After a discharge
If the system went off, we recharge it and put it back in service so you can cook again.
What happens on a service visit
- We check that nozzles still cover every appliance under the hood
- We test the pull station and the automatic detection line
- We replace fusible links and check caps, cylinder and cartridge
- We confirm the fuel shutoff trips
- You get a dated tag and a record of the service
Common questions
Who cleans the hood and ducts?
A hood cleaning company. We install and service the suppression system inside the hood, but we don't clean hoods. Ask us and we'll tell you what to look for in a cleaner.
My system is old. Does it need replacing?
It depends on the system and where you are. Illinois requires kitchen systems to meet the UL 300 standard. Call us with the brand and model and we'll tell you where you stand.
Do you work in Illinois?
Yes. We're licensed to work in Illinois and serve the south suburbs as well as Northwest Indiana.
Stainless steel behind the cooking line
Also called wall panels or a stainless backsplash. We measure, fabricate to fit and install.
Why kitchens put it up
- It wipes clean. Health codes call for walls in food prep areas to be smooth, durable, nonabsorbent and easy to clean. Stainless is the standard answer.
- It doesn't burn. Fire and mechanical codes limit combustible surfaces around a cooking hood. Stainless over the right wall construction is a common way kitchens meet that.
- It lasts. Painted drywall behind a fryer stains and peels. Stainless looks the same years later.
How it works
We look at the wall and the line-up, measure, and fit panels from the counter or floor up to the hood. We fit it in new kitchens and add it to existing ones too.
What your wall needs depends on how it's built. We'll look at it and tell you plainly, and your local building and health officials have the final say.
Exit signs and emergency lights that work when the power doesn't
Sales, testing and repair, usually on the same visit as your extinguishers.
What we do
- New exit signs and emergency light fixtures
- Battery and lamp replacement
- Testing, with a record you can show an inspector
- Replacement of failed or outdated fixtures
The two tests
Fire codes call for battery-backed exit and emergency lights to be tested for 30 seconds every month and for a full 90 minutes once a year, with written records. The yearly test is where weak batteries show up, and it's the one most buildings skip.
Your whole kitchen, from the fire system to the wall behind it
Four things every commercial kitchen needs before it opens. We do all four.
1. The suppression system
Installed in the hood and tied to the fuel shutoff.
2. Stainless wall backing
Behind the line, fitted to the hood.
3. Extinguishers
Class K for the kitchen, ABC for the rest of the building.
4. Exit and emergency lights
Installed and tested before the final walk-through.
Call before you buy equipment
Your fire system depends on what you cook with and where it sits. A quick call before you order a fryer or sign for a used hood can save a rework later. Bring us your floor plan or just the appliance list.
Your town's building department, fire official and county health department each sign off on a new kitchen. We'll tell you what they usually ask for from our part of the job.
A Lowell company since 1983
Ried's Fire Equipment Co. has kept the region's kitchens and businesses protected for more than four decades.
Small company, straight answers
We're based on Grant Street in Lowell and work across Northwest Indiana and into the Illinois south suburbs. When you call, you talk to someone who knows the equipment. When we come out, we tell you what needs doing and what can wait.
We work on the brands restaurants and businesses here already own: Ansul, Amerex, Kidde, Range Guard, Pyro-Chem, Buckeye and CaptiveAire systems.
Where we work
- Lowell
- Cedar Lake
- Crown Point
- St. John
- Winfield
- Hebron
- DeMotte
- Merrillville
- Schererville
- Dyer
- Highland
- Munster
- Hobart
- Valparaiso
- Hammond
- Beecher, IL
- Crete, IL
- Lansing, IL
Not on the list? Call. If we can reach you, we'll come.
Call, or stop by the shop
The fastest way to get on the schedule is the phone.
Shop
17503 Grant St
Lowell, IN 46356
Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM. Closed weekends.
Walk-ins welcome for extinguisher drop-off and sales.
Have this ready when you call
- Your business name and town
- What you need: extinguishers, kitchen system, wall backing or lights
- How many extinguishers, or the brand of your kitchen system
- Any deadline from an inspector, insurer or landlord