What Are Fire Watch Services And Why You Might Need Them More Than You Think
The massive Dixie Fire which ignited in the Sierra Nevada around four weeks ago on July 13 has been burning for nearly a month now.
According to NPR, the fire is currently only 21% contained and has destroyed at least 400 structures.
More than 5,800 personnel are assigned to fight the fire, using equipment from drip torches to bulldozers as well as 30 helicopters and hundreds of fire engines. Officials have started that they do not expect the fire to be contained until August 20.
The Dixie Fire is the second largest wildfire in the US, and has already turned 322,000 acres of California land to ashes. Even though it started burning in mostly remote areas, it took a turn for the worst as erratic winds blew it towards Lake Almanor, a popular vacation spot.
Many of these communities were affected by the Camp Fire in 2018, and are still rebuilding and recovering from devastation.
With many being placed in extremely dangerous situations due to the fires, it might be worthy to consider hiring a fire watch guard to keep your building safe.
What is a fire watch guard?
A fire watch service is provided by highly-trained guards whose job is to patrol a property or business and identify fire hazards. The guards check a building for fire hazards, such that these hazards can be handled and fire outbreaks prevented.
While fire watch guards are usually hired on places with many fire hazards such as construction sites, they may also be hired when the fire alarm system or safety equipment in a building is not working properly.
Since the people in the building are put in a dangerous situation, a fire watch guard’s job is to patrol the area and ensure that both the people and the property are protected until the equipment is functional again.
Other duties of a fire watch guard include identifying potential fire hazards that may cause a fire outbreak, performing a check on of all the equipment relevant for fire safety, and taking action in the event of a fire outbreak to minimise damage and protect occupants.
Why a fire watch guard is so important
All fires — whether fires are started due to natural causes or fire hazards — bring extreme danger to oneself and the community. Besides leading to loss of lives, financial outcomes are also drastic.
Furthermore, within any commercial facility or construction site, there are naturally some possible potential fire sources.
These include the permanent or temporary storage of flammable equipment, faulty wires, or even cigarette butts.
Hiring fire watch services is key to protecting any construction site or commercial property from fire.
Here are other reasons why a fire watch guard is needed:
- Knowledge of how to handle problems
Fire watch guards are highly trained individuals, and have great experience with different equipment. Companies will have no need to worry about the dangers that might arise.
For example, professional fire watch services will help to set an alarm system and tell you when it is expiring. They are also able to protect areas for any misuse, identify fire hazards, and keep emergency exits in a clean and running condition.
If your company is dealing with electrical appliances and machines, they are also able to help prevent these equipment from becoming a fire hazard.
- Protecting your customers and employees
Fire watch guards and services often adopt different techniques to save money and other types of assets during an emergency situation.
In the event of a fire breaking out, they are well-equipped to bring everyone to safety.
Besides protecting customers, employees and physical assets during an emergency, being in control of such situations will also prevent your business from facing any sort of bad publicity.
- Preventing emergencies from occurring
As the popular saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”. Fire watch guards are able to ensure that all fire equipment is in good condition.
Fire watch guards test fire prevention tools and find out which equipment needs repair or replacement. Some of the vital fire suppression equipment a building should have are a fire extinguisher, smoke alarm system, and sprinkler system.
Furthermore, a building can have a lot of fire hazards, and fire watch guards are instrumental in identifying these.
Fire watch services are composed of well-trained fireguards, and these professionals are very conscious of every material inside the property that may act as a fire risk.
Maintenance for safety does not just save your business from the risk of fire but most importantly, it helps prevent loss of lives.
Hire the right experts
Fast Guard Service provides responsive and reliable security services to many diversified industries.
Whether permanent or temporary, you can rely on the firm to provide on-call fire watch services around the clock for emergencies, shift coverage, construction, and more.
To add on, Fast Guard’s experts will conduct a risk assessment for your building, which will be utilized to provide each individual client with customized fire watch services.
Fast Guard’s fire watch security guards have multiple years of experience and will strive to meet the demands of each state’s local fire marshals. It also offers nationwide fire watch services, and in most cases can have a guard at your location in under four hours.
In the event of an emergency, 24-hour fire watch guards remain on site until your fire detection systems and sprinklers are fully operational, and have been inspected and approved by the fire marshal.
The company is also insured and compliant in all 50 States and either meets or exceeds the fire marshal’s standards when it comes to fire watch security.
Fast Guard also has a huge repertoire of clients all over the country, including Fendi, GameStop, and Pet Smart.
If you’re looking to hire a fire watch company to watch over your business or condo, visit Fast Guard’s website at fastguardservice.com, or reach them at 1-844-254-8273 for a quote.