A quick San Antonio guide to vetting a fire watch company: response time, guard approval, patrol logs, and hot-work versus impairment coverage before you call.

A dropped soldering torch sparked a fire in a Massachusetts high school art room. See when classroom hot work triggers a required, posted fire watch.

Choosing a Philadelphia fire watch company means checking response time, who sets the watch terms, and whether the patrol logs will hold up under review.

Choosing a Phoenix fire watch company means checking response time, who the AHJ will accept as a guard, and whether the patrol logs hold up under review.

A three-alarm fire shut down a 14-story Laredo hotel and left it structurally unsafe. See how long a fire watch has to run before anyone returns.

Choosing a Houston fire watch company means checking response time, who can approve the watch, and whether the patrol logs will hold up under review.

A fire watch guard patrols, detects, notifies, and logs — nothing more. See the four duties and hard limits every post order should spell out.

Picking a Chicago fire watch company means checking response time, guard licensing, real patrol logs, and hot-work versus impairment coverage before you sign.

A Silver Spring candle fire exposed a sprinkler gap in an aging high-rise. See when NFPA 101 and a mandated retrofit trigger a fire watch.

A property manager's guide to vetting a Los Angeles fire watch company: response time, who can stand the watch, and what the patrol log must show.

A New Orleans lawsuit over a sprinkler code exception shows marshal approval isn't proof of protection. See when NFPA 25 still requires a fire watch.

A fire marshal wants proof, not a story. See the four records every fire watch file needs before your local AHJ asks to see them.