What is a Fire Watch?
A fire watch is a temporary measure taken when deemed necessary by the Fire Marshal. This service is intended to ensure continuous and systematic surveillance of a building, or its protected portion(s), by one or more qualified individuals who are responsible for identifying and controlling fire hazards, maintaining means of egress, detecting early signs of fire, raising an alarm of fire and notifying the Fire Department.
When a required fire alarm system is out if service for more than eight (8) hours in a 24-hour period, or when an automatic fire sprinkler system is out of service for more than ten (10) hours in a 24-hour period, the Forsyth County Fire Safety Division shall be notified and the building shall be evacuated, or an approved fire watch protocol shall be established.
It shall be the responsibility of the building owner or their designee to provide required fire watch personnel. Building owners or their designated representatives shall complete the List of Fire Watch Personnel form and email it to the Forsyth County Fire Safety Division at firemarshal@forsythco.com.
The primary function of a fire watch is to detect fire, notify occupants and the Fire Department and evacuate the protected area or building. Firefighting activities are NOT the primary purpose of the fire watch.
Individuals assigned to fire watch shall perform the following duties:
- Conduct periodic patrols of the protected area(s) or the entire facility, as appropriate.
- Identify any life, fire, or property hazards such as damaged or frayed wires and improperly stored flammable or combustible materials.
- Ensure all required means of egress remain free from impediments. Check for blocked exit doors and obstructions to exit passageways or stairwells.
- Examine all exit signage and emergency lighting to ensure it is functioning properly.
- Examine self-closing doors to ensure there are no door wedges or other obstructions preventing the proper operation.
- Be knowledgeable in the location and use of fire protection equipment, including portable fire If a sprinkler system is active, examine for any possible sprinkler head obstructions.
- If a fire is suspected or discovered, call 911. Establish and maintain at least one means of direct communication with 911. Provide the emergency operator with the exact address, type of emergency, and if applicable, advise that the fire protection system is impaired.
- Notify building occupants of the need to evacuate; if a building alarm system is functional, ensure it is activated to assist with the evacuation.
- Maintain a log of the fire watch tours and activities.
DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL NEEDED FOR FIRE WATCH
The following are guidelines for determining how many personnel are needed for a fire watch:
- For an apartment complex, there should be one fire watch person for every 36 units. Management should take into consideration the size of the complex (distance between buildings). Fire watch personnel shall walk through each breezeway, inspect all sides of the building, and be able to view all areas under the fire watch in less than 10 minutes.
- For multiple story structures, there should be one person for every four floors. Fire watch personnel shall able be to view all areas under the fire watch in less than 20 minutes and should patrol the entire protected area continuously when any of the following conditions exist.
Fire Watch - Frequency of Tours
Continuous Intervals
Fire watch personnel should patrol the entire protected area continuously when the following conditions exist:
- Where the occupants are sleeping.
- Where occupants are incapable of self-preservation or require assistance.
- In occupancies where high numbers or concentrations of people are expected (i.e., places of assembly and educational occupancies)
Thirty Minute Intervals
Fire watch personnel should patrol high hazard areas of protected buildings every 30 minutes.
Sixty Minute Intervals
All other occupancies not meeting the requirements for continuous, or 30-minute intervals shall be patrolled by the fire watch on a 60-minute interval.
Record Keeping
A fire watch log shall always be maintained at the protected facility and available to Fire Department personnel during the fire watch.
The fire watch log should contain the following information:
- Address of the facility/protected
- Name of person(s) on-duty conducting the fire watch
- Date and time of fire watch duty
- Beginning and ending times of each patrol
- Name of fire watch member conducting a specific patrol
- Record of communication(s) with the Fire Department and alarm monitoring company; including time(s) and nature of communication.
- Record of other information, as directed by Fire Department personnel
Terminating Fire Watch
Once complete, documentation from the responsible state-licensed contractor, certifying that the required fire protection system(s) are repaired and back in service, shall be submitted to the Forsyth County Fire Safety Division. Certification letters can be emailed to firemarshal@forsythco.com. A required fire watch shall not be terminated prior to receiving approval from Forsyth County Fire Department personnel.