Duties on patrol and the fire watch log

Walk a set route, use your eyes, ears and nose, keep the exits clear, and write down every round.

The core duties

• Patrol the whole assigned area on a set route and schedule, not just the one spot that seems risky.
• Look, listen and smell for fire, smoke and heat. A smell of smoke you can't explain is worth treating as real.
• Keep exits, stairs and fire lanes clear.
• Know the building: the exits, the manual pull stations, and where the extinguishers are.
• Keep a charged phone and a reliable way to call 911, and a way to warn the people inside.

Detect and alert, not firefight

A fire watch is there to catch a fire early and get help, not to fight a large one. Use an extinguisher only on a small, just-starting fire and only if it is safe. Otherwise, sound the alarm, get everyone out, call 911, and meet the fire department when they arrive.

The fire watch log

Keep a written log on site and available the whole time. It is often reviewed by the fire department. A good log records:

• The site address and what is being covered (the hot work, or the system that is out of service).
• The time of every patrol round and the areas checked.
• What you observed, and anything you corrected or reported.
• Your name and initials. If more than one person is on watch, each keeps a separate log.
• When the system went out of service and when it was restored, or when the hot work started and cleared.

Stay on the watch

Do not leave the post unattended while the watch is on. If you have to step away, a relief takes over first and the handoff goes in the log.