Key points:
- It varies by neighborhood, but up to 40% of office spaces are vacant due to the transition to hybrid workforces.
- Long-term commercial vacancies create blind spots where repairs and risk factors go unnoticed.
- Staffing a dual-trained fire guard ensures vacant and low-traffic areas are patrolled regularly.
The rise in the hybrid workforce has created unprecedented vacancies in Denver’s commercial office buildings. This leaves empty floors and areas of semi-occupied floors that go unpatrolled for weeks or months. Long-term vacancies create a range of security and safety risks that can be mitigated with a cross-trained firewatch guard.
Commercial property managers should update their Asset Management and Risk Mitigation Plans to reflect vacancies that extend beyond 90 days. Check to see how and if your insurance coverage changes for long-term vacancies. Consider working with third-party partners to strategize around filling vacancies and reducing risk beyond current maintenance and operational protocols.
The Cost of Delayed Detection in Semi-Occupied Buildings
Day-to-day tenants are often the first to notice the inevitable problems that arise. Locked offices and low-to-zero traffic hallways have blind spots. Issues that arise in these areas may not be life threatening but may evolve into costly repair needs.
Below are a few of the hazards that are more likely to go unnoticed in low-occupancy buildings:
- Blocked fire exits
- Burst pipes
- Electrical fire
- Gas leaks
- Hygiene and sanitation concerns
- Maintenance and repair needs
- Overloaded hot desk strips
- Propped-open doors
- Server room ballast failure
- Theft, vandalism, and arson
- Squatting
- Water leaks
Why Hybrid Teams Are More Vulnerable During Emergency Evacuations?
In addition to the risk factors above, hybrid employees are less likely to know where all the stairwells and exits are. This leaves them more vulnerable if the elevator or primary entrance is down.
Many commercial tenants delegate team members to lead emergency evacuation, but they may not be on staff when an emergency arises. Last but not least, commercial tenants who fall below the mandated emergency evacuation threshold are even less likely to conduct above-and-beyond evacuation drills if they have a hybrid team.
How Staffing a Cross-Trained Firewatch Guard Helps?
A cross-trained firewatch guard completes daily patrols. They’re certified in both security and fire watch. The secondary skill set of fire monitoring is a proactive approach, as they’re trained to prevent, detect, and respond to fire risk factors. If the need for formal fire monitoring arises, they can transition to continuous fire monitoring.
Fire watch guards are trained and certified in:
- Local and nationwide fire codes.
- Hot work protocols.
- Insurance policy-compliant fire safety protocols.
- How to complete NFPA-compliant electronic fire logs.
- How to use firefighting equipment.
- Keeping emergency exits clear.
- Rapid response procedures for fire, smoke, and fire hazards.
- How to implement emergency response and evacuation.
- Compliant electronic patrol logs.
Security guards are trained and certified in:
- Effective communication
- Crowd and occupancy control
- Ethics and legal issues
- Emergency situations
- Health and safety
- De-escalation techniques
- Detainment of suspects
- Report writing
- Surveillance skills
- Keeping emergency exits clear
- And more
Hot Work Monitoring During Office Conversions and Office Downsizing
If your strategy to increase occupancy includes downsizing commercial spaces or converting offices into residential spaces, hot work will be required. You’ll need to staff a minimum of 2 firewatchers during all hot work. One to conduct continuous visual monitoring and at least one more to patrol the floor, and the floors above and below. Depending on your needs, you may need to patrol the entire building. In this case, dual training isn’t required, but firewatch certification is.
Daily Fire Monitoring for Denver’s Commercial Buildings
Whether you’re taking a proactive approach or require formal fire monitoring, Scout Security has you covered! This includes providing semi-occupied office and commercial buildings with cross-trained firewatch security guards. We’ll be your eyes and ears behind your building’s blind spots!
Book now, or add us to your third-party contractor list.
