Based on Chapter 15 of the National Fire Protection Association’s Codes & Standards, if your automatic fire system (smoke detector, sprinklers, etc.) goes offline for 4 hours or more, then you are required to have a fire watch on duty while the repairs are being made until all fire prevention systems are back online.

Another requirement for a fire watch could be when (and if) hot work occurs on your premises. Based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), things that are considered hot work involve “electric or gas welding, cutting, brazing, or similar flame or spark-producing operations (§68.3).” If the work that takes place on your premises falls under any of these categories, then you’re legally required to have fire watch duty during the entire duration of the hot work.

Read more on this topic here: Is Fire Watch Needed For Hot Work?

As soon as you know that your fire protection system needs repair, or if hot work will/does take place on your premises, you should contact your local fire department as soon as you can. Afterward, it’s the Fire Code Official’s responsibility to decide the protection level and actions needed to ensure the safety and repair of the fire protection system.

If the fire marshal deems a fire watch patrol to be mandatory, you can pay the fire marshal more to deploy guards for you. Alternatively, after contacting local authorities, you can hire professional fire watch patrol guards from a reputable security company to watch over your site instead while repairs are made.

After establishing a patrol, you must always supply the guards with a minimum of one reliable means for notifying the fire department in case of danger.

Fire Watch Checklist

After everything is done (authorities have been contacted, and a fire watch patrol is established), you’ll need to begin following your fire watch checklist.

In case you don’t have a fire watch checklist made, we’ve provided a simple skeleton rubric to build your checklist off of to ensure that emergencies are handled properly:

• Contact phone numbers for the local fire department and your preferred fire watch company.
• The layout of the building.
• Instructions for posting emergency signage.
• Instructions for notifying occupants in case of danger (a whistle is usually used).
• Your fire log and instructions for completing it.

Finding The Right Fire Watch Company

You need to have a good fire watch guard company you can turn to in times of need. Emergency services typically cost more than scheduled services, but it’s a considerably small price to pay to keep your property, surrounding residents, and community safe from fire. Here are some important factors to keep in mind when hiring a fire patrol/watch company:

• Available 24/7.

• Certified, licensed, and trained guards.

• Familiarity and compliance with local and federal fire watch requirements.

• Following your detailed plan of action and receiving instructions on how to report in the designated fire watch log.

If you’re looking for a professional fire watch company, call +1 (916) 942-9990 or visit https://americosecurity.com/services/fire-watch-services/

For more information on who fire watch guards are and their responsibilities, 

read this article to learn more: https://americosecurity.com/services/what-is-a-fire-watch-guard/