Fire is a genuine threat to all buildings, and it can occur even with fire safety precautions in place. As a business owner or facility manager, staying vigilant against fire risks is a crucial aspect of your overall preparedness.
Many businesses invest in fire watch services to ensure workers are safe and properties are protected from fire incidents. This guide provides an overview of fire watch and fire watch guard duties to keep you informed and diligent.
What Is a Fire Watch?
Fire watch refers to an individual or a group of people tasked with monitoring activities like “Hot Work” and areas of potential fire hazards. Hot work refers to spark-producing activities such as welding, burning and grinding. However, hot work is not the only fire hazard that fire watch guards must watch out for. Other potential risk areas include fire detection system repairs, flammable materials and chemicals, construction and crowded places.
A fire watch is required to detect and effectively respond to fires by taking necessary steps to restore safe conditions within the work area.
Who Needs Fire Watch Guards?
Businesses across all industries use fire watch guards as an effective line of defense against fires. Still, the following areas commonly require fire watch services:
- Buildings lacking fire protection: When a building’s fire protection systems fail, the risk of fire increases. Fire watch is necessary until things go back to normal.
- Hot worksites: Areas with activities that generate heat and sparks require a dedicated fire watch to monitor for possible fires.
- High-risk facilities: Facilities and businesses that deal with flammable materials or chemicals require a fire watch due to the increased risk of a fire hazard.
- Construction sites: Flammable materials and hot work activities are common in construction sites, making fire watch necessary.
- Large gatherings: Social events and other large gatherings significantly increase the risk of fires because anything and anyone can ignite a spark. Fire watch is necessary in this case to promote safety.
Key Fire Watch Guard Roles and Responsibilities
What do fire watch guards do? Here is an overview of key fire watch responsibilities:
- Fire prevention and risk awareness: The main duty of a fire watch guard is to observe properties for fire risk. That includes remaining aware of hazardous materials and problem areas, which allows stakeholders to take preventive actions and respond promptly to reduce fire risk. Guards conduct site inspections to identify hazards and continue to monitor fire risks while there are active threats or safety system outages on-site.
- Equipment monitoring: Guards monitor fire protection systems such as sprinklers, detection, and suppression systems to ensure that they are in good condition. They also check safety equipment for readiness and document their findings regarding the condition of these systems.
- Emergency response protocols: These trained personnel are responsible for initiating an emergency response by contacting authorities and coordinating evacuations in the event of a fire.
- Incident reporting: Guards must properly document their patrols. If a fire occurs, they must document the incident accurately, providing crucial information for site owners, authorities, and insurance companies.
- Enforcement of fire codes: Guards are tasked with upholding fire safety regulations, such as checking occupancy in buildings to maintain the established limits. They also confirm that premises have accessible exits and meet fire codes.
Fire Watch Guard Training Standards
Fire watch training usually covers a wide array of topics designed to equip guards with the skills to identify, prevent and respond effectively to fire hazards.
Areas of Study
Key areas of study for individuals interested in becoming fire watch guards usually include:
- OSHA and NFPA regulations for fire watch and fire safety
- Hot work procedures for hot work-specific operations
- Proper identification and use of fire extinguishers
- Basic understanding of fire suppression systems
- Fire dynamics and prevention strategies
- Emergency response procedures
Requirements
Competency requirements for fire watch training can vary depending on the industry, jurisdiction and even employers looking to train their own fire watch guards. Here are some of the common requirements:
- Legal age: Individuals must be of legal age.
- High school education: In most cases, the educational requirement is a high school diploma or GED.
- Physical fitness: Fire roles deal with emergencies and require the physical capabilities to handle regular patrols and respond to emergencies quickly.
- Attention to detail: In employer-provided training, you may have to demonstrate attention to detail and vigilance.
Choosing the Right Fire Watch Guard Services
If there is a risk of fire in your building or facility, fire watch services can make all the difference in ensuring safety and preventing property damage. How do you select the right service provider? Here are things to consider when choosing fire guard services:
- Reputation: A proven track record usually guarantees good results. Look for fire watch service companies that have industry experience and have worked with businesses like yours, successfully providing fire watch services.
- License and certifications: Fire watch is typically conducted by security service providers whose guards have training in proper patrol techniques and incident documentation. Make sure the fire watch company you select is deploying guards who have met the state requirements for security guard services and have additional training in CPR, OSHA, and NFPA best practices.
- Response time: Fire can erupt at any time of day or night. Discuss responsiveness with the prospective service provider, making sure they can deploy fire watch guards within hours of contact.
- Experience: Since there is no nationally standardized training credential for fire watch, individual guards will develop their skills through a combination of related training and experience. These skills help the individual detect and respond to fire hazards effectively. You want enough knowledgeable and dependable guards to meet your needs, so be sure to source guards with the most experience.
Why Partner With National Firewatch?
Fire watch security guards are vital assets required across all industries, as they play a crucial role in fire prevention. National Firewatch stands out as a reliable fire watch service provider, boasting extensive reach and experience. Our guards undergo exceptional training, which prepares them to navigate a wide range of job sites, including apartment complexes, multi-building educational institutions, hospitals, and construction sites.
If you’re wondering about our reach and reliability, we can deploy guards anywhere in the United States within hours to ensure monitoring service begins as soon as possible. Our rapid deployment and private security expertise reduce lead times, enabling us to minimize your fire risk in the event of an emergency.
Most of all, we understand that every industry and client has unique needs — that is why we tailor our fire watch solutions to your specific requirements.
Get Fire Watch Security From National Firewatch
Fire watch guards are a critical first line of defense in fire safety. They are responsible for vigilant monitoring, hazard detection, and decisive emergency response in areas with a high fire risk. Whether you are looking to hire a fire guard for your business or are wondering how to become a fire watch guard, National Firewatch is your go-to source of information.
At National Firewatch, we deploy experienced fire watch guards throughout the U.S. from our headquarters in Northern California. If your fire systems are not up to code, you are conducting repairs, or you are operating hot work, you need a fire watch guard on-site. Contact National Firewatch for professional fire watch guard services today.
