While purchasing a flat in an apartment, it is necessary to check whether the building contains any fire alarm. Due to some negligence, there are chances that a building catches fire, and it may cause great loss of the lives of people living in it. So, to avoid any risk, it is essential to take preventive measures beforehand. Sometimes the system also becomes impaired for a specific period, and in such period one can’t take the risk of their life.
A fire watch requirement is necessary to keep a watch on fire hazards when the fire alarm system is impaired for more than four hours in an area. In other words, a fire watch system is necessary for the area where fire systems are not working due to some damage or frozen water supply pipes.
Why is a fire watch system required?
According to NFPA, the fire watch system includes an individual or group of individuals assigned a task to keep a watch on fire hazards in a particular area in which there is not any automatic fire warning. The main task of the people working in fire watch includes:
- Extinguish small fires
- Notify the building residents and fire department of an emergency
- Protecting the society people from fire
- Preventing the fire from spreading
- Taking preventive measures to reduce the risk caused by fire
How to hire fire watchers?
Fire alarm and sprinklers malfunctions don’t happen regularly, but when it happens, urgent action is required to avoid any risk to people’s lives. A fire watch system is the best solution for quick action in such a case.
The society owners have two main choices while finding Fire Watch Guards for their building. They can either employ their current employees for this task or outsource the service from a well-known company.
If the building owner chooses to hire the current employees as fire watchers, it is necessary to adhere to federal OSHA requirements. Moreover, complete training is also essential for the employees to know how the fires watch work. It is also necessary for the employees to have a written policy that contains the following:
- They must contain personal protective equipment with them while conducting their fire watch service.
- The detailed information related to the duties of the employees
- The equipment that must be provided to the employees for performing the task
Factors to consider before hiring fire watchers
Hiring fire watchers for a building or apartment is a crucial task. Whether you choose your current employees or outsource the services from a third party, it is essential to consider various factors beforehand, which are as follows:
Training and equipment cost
When you hire your current employees for such a task, it is essential to provide them with the required training and the essential types of equipment to perform the task. Moreover, the employees must also be provided the PPE and the communication devices for the task. Therefore, before choosing any option, it is advisable to compare the cost of each option and choose the cheaper one.
Interruption of normal business activities
Employing the current employees as fire watchers might seem easy and cheap initially. Still, it is essential to note that one cannot perform fire watch tasks and normal business activities. The work of fire watch is to continuously keep an eye on various hot works so a little negligence can cause severe danger to people’s lives. Therefore, the employees’ role of fire watchers might interrupt your normal business activities and result in productivity loss. So in such a case, outsourcing is the best solution.
