#1 Fire Watch Guards & Patrol Services

Call dispatch with your address, the reason for the watch and your required start time. We will check available coverage and confirm an estimated arrival time. Timing depends on your location, staffing needs and current availability. If you need 24 hour fire watch, include the full coverage schedule so we can plan staffing and shift handoffs.

Requirements vary by jurisdiction and assignment. Guards should understand fire hazards, emergency reporting, patrol procedures, and recordkeeping. Some locations require a specific license or certificate. Confirm the credentials required by your local fire authority before coverage starts.

Learn who can perform a fire watch

Staffing and patrol intervals depend on the affected area, building layout, occupancy, hazards, and the fire authority’s instructions. There is no single patrol schedule that fits every site. Provide your written order or impairment plan so coverage can be scoped correctly.

See staffing and patrol frequency guidance

For welding and cutting covered by OSHA 29 CFR 1910.252, a required fire watch must continue for at least 30 minutes after the work ends. This is not a universal cutoff: the applicable fire code, hot-work permit, or site authority may require a longer watch. Confirm the requirements before releasing the guard.

Read our OSHA welding and hot-work guide

For a system outage, the affected protection must be restored and any required testing, notifications, and release completed. For hot work, complete the required monitoring period and permit closeout. Follow the authority’s instructions before releasing the guard.

In some locations, trained employees may perform a fire watch if the responsible authority permits it and they meet the assignment’s requirements. Do not assume ordinary security or maintenance duties are enough. Confirm training, credentials, and whether other duties are allowed before assigning staff.

Review employee and guard requirements

A fire watch is an assigned activity: monitoring an area for fire hazards and following the required patrol, reporting and emergency procedures. A fire guard is a person or job title whose duties and credentials depend on the jurisdiction. Confirm the specific role and credentials your local authority requires.

Our fire watch patrol services follow a route planned for your property. Guards look for smoke, heat and fire hazards, record each round and report concerns through the site’s emergency procedures. Fire watch for buildings with occupied floors requires clear access instructions and a defined patrol area. The route and interval follow the instructions for your site.

A checklist helps the guard follow the assigned route and site instructions. It can cover areas to inspect, hazards to watch for, patrol times and emergency contacts. Keep the completed fire watch log as the record of each round; a blank checklist is not proof that a patrol took place.

A procedure template outlines the patrol area, guard duties, reporting steps and emergency contacts for a watch. Adapt it to your building and the instructions from your local fire authority before using it. Keep it with the site instructions so each shift follows the same plan.

Our West Coast coverage runs the full Pacific coast, from Seattle down to San Diego. Major markets include Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego. Guard availability and arrival times vary by address and assignment. Not sure about your city? Call 1-800-899-7524 and dispatch will tell you.

We cover every major metro across Texas, the South, and the Southwest, including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Las Vegas. Each city page lists the fire code framework your fire marshal enforces there, along with typical rates and response times. If you need a guard in a smaller market, call 1-800-899-7524. We serve hundreds of cities beyond the ones listed here.

Send the property address, site contact, required start time and details of the affected alarm or sprinkler system. Share any written fire authority instructions, access requirements and the areas to patrol. For hot work or construction, include the work schedule so coverage can be planned around it.

Fire watch security services provide personnel to monitor assigned areas for fire hazards, document patrols and follow emergency reporting procedures. You may also see this called firewatch security. For emergency fire watch security, share the affected systems and your deadline with dispatch. For 24 hour fire watch security, confirm staffing across every shift.

When comparing fire watch security companies, ask what duties and credentials are included. General security coverage does not automatically meet fire watch requirements.