In reality, business or property owners have two choices when it comes to doing fire watches. The first is by using their manpower such as employees, while the other one is through contacting fire watch agencies. Though the requirement may differ depending on county, city, and state, fire watch guards could be mandated by the law to perform fire watch patrols.
What is a Fire Watch?
A fire watch is made up of one or more trained security personnel who are responsible for maintaining life safety by monitoring all sections of a property that are impacted by an impairment or other fire watch condition on a continuous basis. If smoke, fire, or other unusual conditions are discovered, the fire watch guard must quickly call emergency personnel or the fire department, notify building residents or customers, and assist in the evacuation of the structure.
Every hour, fire watch patrols should cover the affected area in a structured manner, noting their findings at the end of each shift or patrol. It’s important to keep in mind that a fire watch guard’s obligations don’t end when the building is used. They must also search for unused areas such as storage rooms, basements, and other possible hidden locations.
Usual responsibilities of Fire Watch Guards
Aside from the most obvious reason of searching for possible hazards, fire watch guards have several duties and responsibilities that they have to remember. Here are just a few of them:
Clearing the pathways going to fire exit, while ensuring that it can be closed when not in use and can be opened easily during an emergency.
Ensuring that fire alarm and other protective equipment are working. If the facility or area has damaged or still having it installed, fire watch guards serve as the ‘human’ replacement.
Standby to contact the correct fire department when necessary.
Try to stop the fire with the use of available supplies such as fire-resistant blankets, fire extinguishers, and other similar items.
Informing the people in the area or building, and carefully assist on the evacuation plan.
Documentation in regular intervals, as a result of monitoring and patrol.
These are just a few of the usual responsibilities of fire watch guards. As long as they will be able to protect the property or business against the threats brought by fires, these security guards should be appreciated for the work that they do.
Fire watches must be in operation until the conditions that prompted the authorities to issue them are resolved. If a fire watch has been ordered because to a malfunctioning fire alarm system, it must be maintained until the system is repaired. This goes after all essential inspections and testing have been done and the fire department has been alerted.
The requirement to perform a fire watch is often feared by building owners. Fire watches, on the other hand, maybe simple and simple to conduct with a little planning. It ensures that life safety levels on a site stay continuously high. Even the top fire watch services providers can now be located on the internet and social media platforms. Now, it’s not an excuse not to get one!