01 / Fire watch
Fire watch
Continuous rounds by a dedicated officer while fire protection is impaired.
View detailsGuide
Preparing your building for a fire watch.
A building manager’s checklist for the hours after an impairment: what to confirm, what to tell the officer and what the log should show.
Request a quoteCall (650) 457-8658
Confirm the impairment first.
Before anyone calls for an officer, get three answers from your fire protection contractor: which system is out, which floors or zones it serves and when it is expected back. In Palo Alto the contractor or the Palo Alto Fire Department also says whether a watch is required and for how long.
Write those answers down. They become the first lines of the officer’s brief and the reference point for every round.
What to tell the officer.
Walk the affected areas with the officer, or hand over a marked floor plan. Point out pull stations, extinguishers, exits and any room with hot work or stored materials, and name who to call for the building and for the system itself.
Arrange keys or escorts for locked labs, storage rooms and electrical closets before the first round. A room the officer cannot reach is a room nobody is watching.
What a log entry should show.
A useful entry is short and specific: the time, the areas walked and what was seen. For example, 11:40 p.m., floors 2 and 3, east stairwell and electrical room, no smoke or heat, exits clear. Anything unusual gets its own line with the action taken.
The log stays on site for your facilities team, the contractor and an inspector who asks to see it.
When the watch can end.
The watch runs until the contractor confirms the system is restored and signed off, whether that takes one night or a whole renovation. If the work runs in phases, update the route as each area comes back online so the officer stops walking floors that no longer need it.
Booking the officer.
Call as soon as the impairment is scheduled or found. Our fire watch service page covers coverage options and typical rates in Palo Alto.
Common reasons a building needs a fire watch
Planned impairments are the most frequent: a sprinkler riser drained for a tenant improvement, an alarm panel replaced during a renovation, a system taken offline for testing that runs longer than expected. Hot work such as welding or torch-applied roofing also calls for someone watching for smoldering material during and after the job.
Unplanned impairments are harder. A panel fails overnight or a pipe breaks, and the building needs coverage before anyone can schedule a repair. Keeping our number with your facilities contacts means the call can be made as soon as the contractor flags the problem. Our fire watch service page describes how coverage is set up.
Fire watch in an occupied office or lab
Research buildings and offices in Palo Alto rarely close for an impairment. Teams keep working, visitors still arrive and labs stay in use, so the officer’s route has to fit around them. Before the first round, we settle with your facilities lead how the officer will move through secured areas without disrupting work.
Occupants should know why an officer is walking the corridors. A short note from facilities explaining the impairment heads off questions and lets the officer concentrate on the rounds.
Fire watch alongside other security
A building with an officer at reception still needs a separate fire watch officer, because reception duties break up continuous rounds. The two roles work well side by side: one manages access while the other keeps moving through the affected areas.
On construction sites, fire watch runs alongside the gate officer and overnight coverage and shares the same daily reporting. Our construction planning guide shows how those posts fit together. When an impairment arrives with little warning, short-term officers can cover the rest of the property while fire watch handles the rounds.
A few useful answers
Quick answers.
Can fire watch run while the building is occupied?
Yes. The officer patrols affected areas while normal operations continue.
Who retains the log?
It stays on site and belongs to you.
Does the officer need access to every affected area?
Yes. Arrange keys or badges for each floor or room on the route before coverage begins, so no part of the route is skipped.
How does a fire watch come to an end?
When your fire protection contractor confirms the system is restored and signed off, the officer completes a final round and the log is handed to facilities.
Can fire watch cover a hot work job?
Yes. An officer can watch the work area during hot work and for the period afterward that your contractor specifies.
Services
Services this guide covers
02 / Short notice
Temporary security guards
Officers on short notice for a night, a week or a busy season.
View details