Ensuring Safety and Preparedness
One of the most important precautions for building owners, commercial properties, industrial sites, apartment complexes, restaurants, shopping malls, and more is to have fire watch patrol ready and prepared when there is a potential for hot work in the building, or if a fire panel or system is malfunctioning, broken, or even being repaired. In this blog, learn more about emergency fire-watch services and what you need to know in order to receive fire-watch patrol as soon as possible.
Understanding Hot Work and Fire Prevention Requirements
From the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) website, the definition of Hot Work is “work involving electric or gas welding, cutting, brazing, or similar flame or spark-producing operations (§68.3). Facilities that perform hot work operations conducted on or near a covered process shall issue a hot work permit, and it must be kept on file until hot work operations are completed. The permit shall document that the fire prevention and protection requirements in 29 CFR §1910.252(a) have been implemented prior to beginning the hot work operations, indicate the date(s) authorized for hot work, and identify the object on which hot work is to be performed (§68.85).” ( EPA, 2022)
This is to ensure that facilities include fire watch protocol within their risk/security management plan to ensure that the building is secured at all times. According the the National Fire Protection Association, many facilities that are non-residential buildings include hot work, and various types of repair work are near combustible/flammable materials within a building. When it comes to fire alarm systems, panels, or fire systems that may be impaired, fire-watch is required if the impairment occurs for more than 4 hours within a 24-hour period. If a fire system, panel, or alarm system is impaired for more then 4 hours within a 24-hour period, the fire department must be notified and fire-watch patrol must be immediately utilized (requirements for faulty fire systems may differ by county, please see your local fire department’s regulations).
Malfunctions do not happen often within buildings, but building owners must either perform fire-watch reports every hour of the day until it is repaired, or outsource the work the trained professionals who are experienced with securing buildings that have fire panels/alarms/systems that are currently not operating.
How to Hire Emergency Fire Watch Services
To hire emergency fire-watch services for your property, property owners should reach out to certified companies who have experience monitoring various types of buildings and who know the tell-tale signs of potential problems. Many fire-watch companies are able to immediately send fire-watch patrols to properties, due to the potential severity of the situation. To submit a request for an emergency fire-watch patrol, property owners/managers should reach out as soon as they are aware of the faulty fire system and provide all of the pertinent details in their inquiry for services. It is important to act fast in these types of situations, as many security guard companies have limited availability for their fire-watch staff, as these sites tend to be 24-hour coverage to company with the local fire departments requirements. By utilizing fire-watch patrol through a security company, the company ensures that all hourly reports are filled out correctly and to the fire Marshalls standards, that they patrol the property properly, and that any changes are immediately reported to the client, local fire department, and their management team.
Trust The Guard Alliance for Emergency Fire Watch Services
The Guard Alliance Inc. provides unmatched security guard and fire watch services in 14 states nationwide, and provides fire-watch patrol and services at an affordable rate to returning clients and new clients who are in need of assistance. To submit a request for a fire-watch service, click the button below and provide all of the important details for your property, including the type of property, hours, and for potentially how long you will need the service. The Guard Alliance Inc. provides same-day estimates and responds to all urgent inquiries for fire-watch.
