Fire Watch Services in Philadelphia - PA

Emergency Fire Watch Services in Philadelphia

As per requirements by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and state regulations, a Fire Watch guard is mandatory when there is an impairment in your Fire Protection systems or if there’s any construction-related activity that renders your system to be inoperable. Impairment and malfunctions of the following types of equipment or components of your system will trigger the implementation of Fire Watch:

• Sprinkler System
• Standpipe systems
• Fire pumps and fire hose systems
• Water storage tanks and underground fire service mains
• Interruptions in the Water Supply
• Fire Alarm System
• Fire Suppression System
• Hot work Activity occurs within the building
• Presence of toxic or flammable materials

Construction Site Fire Watch & Site Safety Plan

Buildings under construction are vulnerable to fire and are generally unprotected. As the building’s protection systems have not yet been installed, the site is deemed “not secure”. There are many ignition sources commonly available while in this stage. Fires on construction sites pose an immediate threat to the surrounding community and may have long-term economic and environmental impacts.

Philadelphia Fire Code provides provisions for fire safety during construction and demolition activity, including Fire Watch requirements, to reduce the risk of fire and associated losses. The Philadelphia Building Code requires a Site Safety Plan to be devised during the initial meeting with the building inspector and a Fire watch personnel shall be implemented with the training of all duties and responsibilities outlined in the Site Safety Plan. All ACTIVE construction projects must comply with these requirements as the Code Bulletin outlines specific requirements for Fire Watch during construction and demolition.

Narrow Security will provide capably and trained Fire Watch Personnel at your property at short notice to satisfy the mandated requirements and help avoid liabilities or detrimental penalties to building supervision. Our Fire Watch experts will ask important questions and will provide necessary and immediate service solutions. Please contact our local area office at 215-892-1231 for an immediate consultation.
Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspection issued a Code Bulletin regarding new requirements for keeping a fire watch on construction and demolition sites.

Click on the link & View Bulletin – https://admin.phila.gov/media/20200901083857/F2001-FIRE-WATCH-DURING-CONSTRUCTION-CODE-BULLETIN.pdf

Fire Watch Guard:

What are the requirements of a Fire Watch Guard? A Fire Watch Guard in Philadelphia is one or more people trained on Construction and Emergency Site Safety plan protocols and trained in the use of portable fire extinguishers with the following responsibilities

• Patrol the building monitoring for any signs of smoke, fire or some other abnormal condition.
• Notifying the fire department or and building occupants of an emergency.
• Preventing fires from occurring by recognizing and taking prompt action to remove fire hazards.
• Protecting the public from fire or life safety dangers.

Building Safety Policy:

A Fire Watch shall be required under the following circumstances:

• A building’s fire alarm system, fire sprinkler, or fire suppression system is impaired, including planned impairments as required by Code Bulletin F-1601.
• Combustible, new construction exceeds 40’ in height or includes an aggregate area exceeding 50,000 square feet.
• Other hazardous activity occurs, as determined by the Site Safety Manager, Fire Code Official, or the courts.
• Hot work activity occurs within the building.

At a minimum, a Fire Watch shall be maintained at the following times:

• During non-working hours from the time that combustible construction reaches a height above 40’ or an area of 50,000 square feet until the fire alarm system or fire suppression system has been certified.
• During and at least 30 minutes after the conclusion of hot work activity.
• During an emergency or planned impairment of a fire protection system.

A Fire Watch shall meet the following criteria:

• The primary duty of fire watch personnel shall be to perform constant patrols and watch for the occurrence of fire. The combination of fire watch duties and security duties is acceptable.
• Fire watch personnel shall be trained in all duties and responsibilities outlined in the Site Safety Plan.
• Fire watch personnel shall be provided with approved means for notification to the Fire Department.
• An adequate number of fire watch personnel shall be on duty to ensure that all areas of a property are inspected every 30 minutes. In multi-story buildings, there shall be at least one fire watch for every five floors.
• In the event the Fire Watch guard observes smoke or fire, the Fire Department shall be notified immediately.
• Maintain a record of all time periods of duty, including the log entry each time the site was patrolled, and each time a structure was entered and inspected. Records shall be made available for review by the Fire Code Official upon request.

The Site Safety Plan shall be reviewed during the initial meeting with the building inspector. Any changes to the plan shall be documented and made available for review by the building inspector or fire code official upon request. Assigned Fire Watch personnel must be kept informed of all changes.

Narrow security provides qualified Fire Watch personnel that meet the required fire watch criteria and perform all duties and responsibilities as outlined in the Site Safety Plan. Our Fire Watch guards will devise and incorporate appropriate patrol routes, knowledgeable of hazardous materials, trained on the use of Fire extinguishers and will be equipped with approved devices to notify the Fire Department. In addition, our Fire Watch personnel will maintain adequate patrol log entries and such records will be maintained on file to be furnished to the Fire Code Officials during site inspections. Please contact our local area office at 215-892-1231 for immediate consultation for your Fire Watch requirements.