Key points:
- Enclosing or adding space heaters to your commercial patio may trigger mandated fire watch.
- Hot work or any work that disables your fire alarm, limits sprinkler clearance, or hinders smoke detection requires fire watch.
- Your contractor will inform you if you need to hire a fire guard before they can begin their work.
As the weather cools down, many restaurants, bars, and hotels enclose or winterize their commercial patio. Most winterizing tasks require a third-party contractor. Even if you can complete some of the tasks yourself, you may need to disable your fire safety system. Below are the top triggers and basics of outdoor patio firewatch regulations for LoDo, RiNo, and all of Denver.
Your third-party contractor will alert you to whether your patio maintenance, repairs, or upgrades require compliant fire monitoring. However, your contractor may not provide a firewatcher. This means you’ll need to dispatch a trained and certified fire guard before work can commence.
Top 3 Reasons for Dispatching Fire Watch for Commercial Patio Winterizing
1. Patio Enclosure
Even if your patio is designed to transition from open to closed, you’ll likely need to disable your fire alarm while work is complete. Or the work may limit sprinkler clearance or block the flow of smoke and fumes to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Especially if you’re installing vinyl walls, curtains or erecting enclosure framing. Be mindful that curtains and enclosures aren’t compliant if they create a “double blind” risk that hides smoke and flames and dampers your fire alarm. You may also need to disable your system while sealing your retractable roof.
Depending on the extent of your work, work may need to be completed when your establishment is closed. This is because power may need to be disconnected, and the work may block exits and egress pathways. Not to mention, loud and disruptive. Even if you have no patrons, one or more complaint monitors are required.
2. Installing Patio Heaters
Instead of enclosing your patio, or before you enclose it for the fall or winter, you may opt to install patio heaters. LPG/Propane towers are acceptable in some open-area patios, but only if they are UL-listed or CSA-certified. Compliant towers or tanks must maintain at least 3 feet of clearance from tables, umbrellas, buildings, structures, and combustible materials.
The preferred choice of the Denver Fire Department is infrared electrical heaters. These heaters eliminate combustible fuel concerns, produce zero carbon monoxide emissions, and don’t require ventilation. A monitor may be required during installation and during high-occupancy events, especially if you opt for propane towers.
3. Hot Work
It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what task is being completed, trained and certified fire monitors are required before hot work can begin. You’ll require a minimum of 2 to maintain compliance with outdoor patio firewatch regulations. One monitor will continuously assess the welding, grinding, or hot work, and two or more will complete patrols.
Work cannot begin until your monitors have assessed fire risks, repositioned suppression gear, and checked off on pre-work safety setup. Monitoring will continue for at least 30 minutes after hot work ends. This is to monitor for delayed ignition.
Trained, Certified, and 24/7 Firewatch in Denver and The Springs
Scout Security is here to meet your needs for both security and fire watch. We’re available for pre-scheduled hot work, maintenance, and repairs—or 24/7 emergency response.
Reach out any time fire watch is triggered, or any time you want to take a proactive approach to increased fire hazards!
