Many businesses and apartment complexes in the Jacksonville, Tampa, or Orlando area don’t have a plan for when their fire suppression system is down, malfunctioning, or being repaired. This is when the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has set out guidelines to have a fire watch service in place.
NFPA 101 section 9 states, if an automatic sprinkler or fire alarm system is down for over 4 hours in a 24 hour period, the building is required to have a fire watch service or must be evacuated.
While most often businesses and multi-family housing don’t plan for their sprinkler or fire alarm system to stop working, but it is an emergency situation that needs to be addressed. It may be tempting to use property management staff to perform such services to cut costs, but this has many disadvantages.
Liability
If you are thinking about using your own staff instead of a fire watch service, don’t forget about the liability. The last thing you want is a bunch of attorneys looking to hold you liable. Because the fire watch is not usually covered in many insurance policies held by management companies. If a fire were to break out, the liability would be absorbed by the property management company.
Hiring a professional fire watch service can significantly reduce this liability, because you will be protected from the fire watch service’s insurance policy.
Peace of Mind
Curtis Protective Service has highly trained fire watch guards. They have been specifically educated for this service, following all documentation, regulations and laws. You won’t have to worry about the task of coordinating the staff, which could last for several days or even weeks, which can be a big strain itself. It will give you a peace of mind everything is taken care of, quality guards are on duty, 24 hours a day.
Costly Fines
Do you know the fire watch guidelines and regulations for your jurisdiction? Failing to comply can lead to costly fines. In the long run a professional fire watch service is well worth the cost.
Are you confident your employees, tenants, and property are protected when your fire system is down? If not, then contact Curtis Protective Service for more information.
