Since 2019, rates of fire-related deaths and injuries have increased across Florida. Like many other parts of the country, multiple factors have contributed to an overall rise in wildfires. Depending on your location and the nature of the work on your property, your team may face a higher risk of losing personnel and assets due to fire.
Construction sites, warehouses, and event venues all face unique vulnerabilities. Regardless of your industry, when outages occur, you’ll need to source a reliable fire watch provider to keep your team safe and operational.
Understanding fire risks can be tough—especially if your region hasn’t been prone to wildfires in the past. We’ve put together this short read to inform folks in our network about the current state of fire risks in Florida, and how fire watch guards can help safeguard your most critical assets.
Recent Fires In Florida
At the time of this article’s writing, a wide-ranging fire dubbed the “Honeydew Brush Fire” has just been contained, according to local officials. The blaze had previously spread over 300 acres of Volusia County, threatening some of the state’s most densely populated regions. We applaud First Responders and everyone who worked tirelessly to contain the blaze.
Also this week, further to the south, a wildfire damaged 26,000 acres and shut down both 18-Mile Stretch and Card Sound Road. This shutdown was particularly disruptive since many folks have no alternative routes. Whereas the cause for the Honeydew Fire is still unknown, the larger southern fire is suspected to be the result of arson.
Floridians are no strangers to damaging weather events, but based on the stats previously cited, wildfires may be a new challenge for folks in the Orange State. If they haven’t done so already, many organizations will need to update their risk management plans to include fire watch partnerships. This starts with an understanding of state and local fire code requirements.
Florida Fire Watch Laws
Like in most states, municipalities in Florida derive their fire code policies from literature produced by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). Workplaces are also subject to OSHA regulations concerning fire watch. NFPA rules and local fire codes deal with outages, while OSHA rules govern best practices for “Hot Work”.
Fire Watch for Outages
If your fire alarm or sprinkler system is offline, the fire marshall may order an evacuation unless fire watch is deployed. Fire watch guards act like human smoke detectors, patrolling your property and reporting any risks. When arranging a fire watch, keep in mind:
- Management is responsible for hiring trained fire watch guards—existing staff cannot be reassigned to fire watch duty
- Fire watch guards must be assigned a patrol route when arriving on-site
- Communication details must be provided in advance
- Guards should make their rounds in 60-minute intervals
- Fire watch guards will need to inspect all route locations for fire risk
- The fire marshal will likely request a thorough log sheet
Fire Watch for “Hot Work”
If there is a heightened fire risk on-site, fire watch guards must observe heat application tasks such as welding or brazing. Open-air construction sites, for example, typically deploy fire watch guards to oversee hot work. Even in a dedicated industrial space with built-in safety mechanisms, fire watch may be necessary if a wildfire threatens your job site.
Just like during an outage, management is responsible for sourcing dedicated fire watch guards—existing staff cannot be reassigned to this role. Major projects may be delayed if hot work is stalled due to inadequate safety. The best way to ensure your team stays safe, productive, and on schedule is to connect with a reliable fire watch partner that can deploy to your location when needed.
Contact The Guard Alliance
The Guard Alliance has been proud to serve communities across Florida since 2010. As one of our busiest regions for security guards, we have gotten to know the challenges facing organizations in the Orange State. Extreme weather events are common, and the demand for fire watch guards only increases over time.
Since 2020, we have substantially beefed up our fire watch guard force in Florida and can now deploy to most parts of the state within hours. If you need emergency fire watch coverage, we hope The Guard Alliance will be your first call.
