 | Bureau of Safety Services: Existing Inspections - Firewatch Requirements |  |
This information is provided to clarify the requirements for a fire watch. A
fire watch is the action of an on-site person whose sole duty is to watch for
the occurrence of fire.
If a fire protection system fails and/or if there are an excessive number of
accidental activations/nuisance alarms, a fire watch may be required by the
fire code until the system is repaired. A nuisance alarm is defined as "any
alarm caused by mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation, or lack
of proper maintenance, or any alarm activated by a cause that cannot be
determined." (NFPA 72 1-4) A fire watch may also be required when fire
protection systems are in a trouble or a supervisory mode for more than four
hours.
Owner Responsibilities
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Insure that qualified personnel are providing the fire watch.
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Notify the monitoring company that the facility is under a fire watch.
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Notify the fire department that the system is not working and then again when
the system is operational. Call the Bureau of Safety Services at (561)
616-7034.
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Contract with a certified fire alarm system company to fix the fire protection
system(s) that are not operational.
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If a Notice of Violation has been written, contact the local fire department
when the system has been repaired. Their phone number will be on the Notice of
Violation.
If you have any questions or you need more information, please contact the
Bureau of Safety Services at (561) 616-7034.
Duties of Personnel on Fire Watch:
Personnel providing a fire watch shall perform the following duties:
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Conduct periodic patrols of the entire facility.
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Identify any fire, life safety or property hazards and report them by
contacting 9-1-1 and reporting the type of emergency and exact location.
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If the building is occupied, notify all occupants to evacuate. If the sirens or
public address systems are operational, use them to assist with the evacuation
of the building.
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Determine at least one means of direct communication with the fire department.
A landline telephone is an acceptable communication method.
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Maintain a log of fire watch activities.
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Have a good working knowledge of the fire protection equipment available and be
trained in how to use them, including the fire extinguishers.
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Personnel performing a fire watch cannot have any other duties than the fire
watch.
NOTE: The personnel performing the fire watch will not perform any firefighting
duties beyond the scope of the ordinary citizen.
Frequency of Fire Watch Patrol
Fire Watch personnel shall patrol the entire facility every 15 minutes in the
following situations:
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The facility has people sleeping in it.
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The facility is in institutional occupancy.
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The facility is occupied assembly occupancy.
All other facilities that do not meet these criteria shall have fire watch
personnel patrol the facility every 30 minutes.
Record Keeping
A fire watch log should be maintained at the facility. The log must be
available to the fire department at all times during the fire watch. The log
should show the following:
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Address of the facility
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Times that the patrols were completed in the facility
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Name of the person conducting the fire watch.
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Record of communication(s) to the fire department and monitoring company.
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Record of other information as directed by fire department personnel.
Cancellation of Fire Watch
It is the owner's responsibility to cancel the fire watch once the fire
protection system has been fully restored. Once the fire watch has been
cancelled, the owner or representative must notify the fire alarm monitoring
company, the local fire department and the local fire marshal office.
If you have any additional questions or require additional information, please
contact our office.
| References | |
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NFPA - 2004 Edition - 3.3.90 - Definition of Fire Watch
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NFPA 1 - 2004 Edition - 16.4.4.3 - System Shutdown - Required Alternative
Measures
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NFPA 101 - 2004 Edition - 3.3.81 - Duties of Fire Watch Personnel
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