Important Fire Safety Signs – Fire Watch
A fire watch is essentially a short-term measure designed to make sure systematic and regular monitoring of a structure, or section of the structure, for the purpose of detecting and rectifying fire hazards, noticing early warning signs of fire breakout, activating an early warning system and also notifying family members, neighbors, or others in the area where persons with fire-related needs are present. There are numerous advantages to implementing a Brandwacht.
One of them is the prevention of further loss of life, loss of income or destruction of property due to fire. Another major advantage is that it will give occupants of the structure, building or other occupied structure a chance to evacuate the premises before fire hazards compromise the security of those within the structure. This will also reduce the need for fire fighting personnel who may otherwise have been deployed to tackle large fires which may well have spread at quite a fast rate and may well have spread to other areas of the premises.
It is not compulsory for a fire department to keep a fire watch, but it is widely regarded as an attractive training opportunity for firemen so that they may learn many things about fire safety which will come in very handy in their day to day duties. Fire watch training usually lasts between one and three days, during which a fireman will be sent into a facility or part of a structure to oversee the proper watch operations. During this period of time he or she will receive fire safety advice and do all he or she can to make sure that the fire watch procedures are being followed appropriately. People sent on fire watch duty will typically act as senior level personnel and take full responsibility for firefighting activities in the building or part of it.
It has been found that fire departments in many US cities are currently conducting several training courses for their fire watch staff, following which they are being deployed to some of the largest buildings within the metropolitan area. It has been reported that this is being taken in order to reduce costs associated with putting people on full-time fire watches, which are believed to be expensive in terms of man-hours. The aim of these courses is to ensure that each fire watch crew member is as fully prepared as possible following any disaster in the building they are employed to work in.
If you are employed as a part-time member of a fire watch, you will receive full training on the basics of fire protection and safety, but you won’t be required to take the full certification test until a full 24-hour period has passed. The aim of this course is to ensure that every member of the crew knows the basics of fire prevention, so that they can respond quickly if a fire starts. The course also covers the use of fire alarm systems in an effective manner, which can help to prevent fires from happening in the first place. Fire watches are normally scheduled for four hours in length, although some are even extended to five hours. A fire watch is normally scheduled for each floor of the building that it is servicing.
