What is Waking Watch
Waking watch is a service provided by many security companies that involves actively monitoring a property for signs of a fire and raising the alarm if required.
This service is conducted by highly trained fire marshals who will patrol multiple occupancy buildings 24 hours a day, on the lookout for potential fire hazards or signs of an active fire.
The main goal of waking watch is to give residents of a building early warning of potential hazards and allow action to be taken to help guard against tragedies such as the Grenfell tower disaster from taking place.
Why is waking watch needed?
Since the Grenfell tragedy, there has been heightened awareness of the need for more effective fire alert systems and swift action plans should a fire occur.
Despite the fallout from Grenfell, and other apartment block fires, many high-rise buildings in the UK are still equipped with unsafe cladding that can cause fires to spread at a terrifying rate.
A waking watch will involve highly trained individuals patrolling your property day and night, monitoring all areas for signs of any possible fires, and helping to implement the existing fire evacuation plan should the worst happen.
Given the cost of manned patrols, waking watch is usually considered a temporary measure whilst steps are taken to bring the existing fire alarm system up to the required standard or whilst work is done to ensure the building itself complies with the latest building safety regulations.
What do waking watch officers do?
The role of a waking watch officer is to pro-actively search for fire hazards in a building, alert residents should a fire be detected, and ensure that the correct evacuation protocols are implemented.
During a 24hr period, marshals will conduct patrols of the entire building at regular intervals, producing real-time reports detailing their observations.
Residents are able to request to see these reports, giving you peace of mind that a thorough inspection is being conducted and that you will be quickly alerted to any potential incident.
Should any signs of fire be detected, it is the responsibility of the Waking Watch to ensure that established fire evacuation protocols are followed, to alert the fire service, and to liaise with them once they arrive.
If a fire alarm is triggered in the building, a fire marshal will quickly check the location of the alert using the central control panel and direct their fellow marshals to the area.
Once there, marshals will search for any signs of a fire and either instigate fire evacuation procedures and alert the authorities or reset the system in the case of a false alarm.
In order to carry out their duties effectively, Waking Watch marshals will carry torches, whistles, and other devices that can be used to quickly raise the alarm if the fire alarm system malfunctions or is not operational at the time.
How to get rid of waking watch
A waking watch service is highly effective, but it can also be very expensive given the high cost of hiring one or multiple fire marshals for 24/7 surveillance and should therefore only ever be a temporary measure.
It is currently estimated that waking watch is costing leaseholders in the UK as much as £3 million a month collectively and finding an alternative has become a national priority as a result.
Unfortunately, there is often no choice but to have the service in place, and it may be a legal requirement if your building is deemed to be at a higher risk of fire or there is not a working, integrated fire alarm system installed.
The only alternative to waking watch, for buildings found to have safety issues, is to install a common fire alarm or have the problematic cladding replaced, but given the expense of the latter, alarm installation is often the only realistic option.
In an attempt to help replace the need for costly waking watch in as many buildings as possible, the Government has introduced a £30 million waking watch relief fund designed to cover the installation of an alarm system in those properties with unsafe cladding installed.
A fire alarm has relatively low ongoing costs in comparison to waking watch, and typically saves residents around 50% in the first year, factoring in the cost of installation, and significantly more in the years to come.
Contact v360 today
Waking watch is a huge responsibility, and you should always ensure that the service is being provided by a respected and professional fire and security firm.
V360 are one of the UK’s leading providers of waking watch services, with our highly trained fire marshals providing an expert eye for detail developed over many years experience in the industry and undergoing extensive bespoke training specifically for the role.
Our waking watch hourly rate is also below the median rate and for every single shift completed by one of our waking watch marshals, we will donate £5 to a charity of your choice.
For more information on our waking watch services contact v360 today on 0345 319 8333, or email us at info@v-360.co.uk.