Fire Watch professionals provide peace of mind to property owners everywhere when they have an inoperable fire panel, alarm system, or protection system that need monitoring. Fire watch patrol guards are meant to secure the premises, to make sure there is no smoke, sparks, smells of gas, etc. If there is any suspicious activity (smoke, sparks, leaks, etc.), these professionals will notify the local fire department immediately, the client immediately, and evacuate the building.
The National Fire Protection Association states that should any fire alarm system or fire protection system (ex. fire sprinkler) be used to protect a property, fire watch is required should the systems ever become inoperable.
Fire alarm systems that are inoperable after 4 hours within one 24-hour period , and fire protection systems are considered inoperable after 10 hours within the same period of time.
NFPA compliance also states fire watch professionals must inspect any irregularities in a property, monitor the broken system, and to notify whoever is on the property at the time (in case there is a fire and an emergency evacuation is implemented). Fire watch professionals perform fire watches for construction zones, commercial and industrial properties, apartment complexes, and even small businesses.
Any property that has these types of fire watch systems will need to implement fire watch inspections, or risk a hefty fine from the local Fire Marshal.
Fire Watch patrol must monitor both the inside of the property and outside the property to make sure there are no sparks, smoke, or any irregular smells that are occurring during the repairs. This means that they must check all rooms, whether occupied, storage closets, rooms, etc. to monitor for smoke. Repairs to fire protection systems, whether alarms, sprinkler systems, etc. should be made immediately, as it may be exponentially higher to pay for a burned down building than to pay for fire watch protection. The protection is required 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until the fire alarm or system is fixed to protect both residents, tenants, employees, etc. from any sort of harm.
If there is some type of fire, smoke, gas smell, sparks, or suspicious activity that occurs on the property during fire watch patrol, they must immediately report it to the local fire department and help evacuate the building. The most important thing during a fire watch is to make sure you hire a professional fire watch employee, as they are trained, screened, and background checked to make sure they are capable of securing the building.
The Guard Alliance Inc. offers temporary fire watch patrol, emergency fire watch patrol services, and long term fire watch patrol to companies across the United States because of our experienced guards, fastest turnaround time for estimates in the industry, and our professionalism.
Learn more about how we can help you protect and secure your property today, and visit the Services section of our website.
