Water outages are one of many reasons to hire a certified fire watcher for your multi-tenant building or business. A compromised water supply doesn’t necessarily increase your risk of fire igniting, but it increases the risk of fire spreading. If welding or other hot work is required to repair your plumbing or fire alarm or suppression system, your risk of fire increases.
To maintain compliance with Denver fire code, you must deploy dedicated fire surveillance professionals when your water is down for 4 hours in a 24 hour period. Repairs can take longer than expected, so many buildings err on the side of caution. Particularly residential buildings and commercial properties with high occupancy or with goods and supplies that have an increased flammability risk.
What Does A Certified Fire Watcher Do?
Sometimes referred to as a fire guard, fire watchers are specially trained professionals who possess the safety skills required to respond in the event of smoke, fire, or increased fire risk. This includes fire prevention, detection, response, and evacuation.
Job duties include:
- Fire code compliance: Learning local fire code. Failing to deploy compliant surveillance when your water is out can result in a fee of $250+ per day.
- Prevention assessment: Ensuring entrances, exits, and evacuation routes are kept clear, chemicals are properly stored, and fire extinguishing equipment is operational.
- Response: Learning how to identify gas leaks, respond to small fires, and how to rapidly implement your evacuation plan.
- Patrol: Patrolling the entire facility every 30 minutes. This patrol must be documented with times and incident reporting and continue for 30 minutes post-hot work.
- Communication: Knowing who to call if an emergency arises and remaining on site to coordinate with the fire department, first responders, and you and your team.
Do Denver Businesses Have to Report When Their Water Is Out?
Maybe. Most water outages, plumbing repairs, and fire suppression system repairs only take a few hours to complete. If your water is down for 4 hours or your fire alarm and suppression system outage reaches the 10 hour mark, you must immediately notify the Denver Fire Department.
You’ll need to apply for a Firewatch Permit application. This application details the cause of the outage and what measures you’re taking to return to full compliance. Once a Fire Prevention Officer approves your permit, you’ll be asked to submit daily Firewatch Logs by 10 a.m. each morning.
For liability, you should complete logs even when your system is down for less than 10 hours. Keep logs for a minimum of 12 months.
Once your system is restored, you must email an NFPA 72 System Record of Completion and an NFPA 13 Material and Test Certificate for Fire Sprinkler Systems to the DFD.
What If My Building Doesn’t Have Sprinklers?
Yes, even if your building doesn’t have sprinklers, you must deploy a fire watcher when your water is down.
What If My Building Has Non-Water Sprinklers?
Yes, even if your building’s water isn’t operating but your foam, dry air, or clean agent sprinklers are operational—you must deploy dedicated fire surveillance.
Also Read:
- Deploying Certified Fire Watch Guards as Part of Your Fire Prevention Plan
- Special Event Fire Watch Responsibilities and Requirements
- How to Choose a Fire Watch Company
- When to Hire Fire Watch Services For Your Colorado Company
- 11 Benefits of a 24-Hour Onsite Fire Watch Security Guard Service
Can I Deploy a Team Member For Fire Watch?
Yes, you can. Just be mindful that when you deploy a maintenance professional or any other employee they must engage in continuous monitoring. This means that they cannot complete any other job duties.
While they have the skills to complete their daily job duties, your team members may not know how to identify fire hazards or respond in case of an emergency. For this reason, most businesses deploy a certified fire watcher.
Dispatch Scout Security When Your Water Supply Is Compromised
Scout Security can deploy our team anywhere in the Denver Metro Area when an unexpected water outage occurs. We’re available for pre-scheduled monitoring and emergency monitoring.At the very least, add our number to your emergency contact list so you know who to call when unplanned fire surveillance is required.
