For those living in high-rise apartment buildings, fire safety has been a major concern in the past few years.
Many properties have been discovered to be fitted with unsafe cladding similar to that responsible for spreading the fire at Grenfell tower that tragically claimed 72 lives in 2017, and for those living in such a building having the most effective detection and response systems in place is crucial.
Until such time as condemned cladding is replaced, high-rise blocks are required to adopt a simultaneous evacuation policy as opposed to the stay-put advice in place at Grenfell.
To allow this to happen, either a waking watch service, or a common fire alarm is required to be put in place.
Prime Secure is one of the UK’s leading providers of both, helping keep high-rise properties across the UK safe using a combination of highly trained expert fire wardens and the latest in mobile fire safety alarm technology.
What is a waking watch service?
Waking watches were first introduced immediately in the aftermath of Grenfell, with trained fire marshals continually patrolling the site in the search for signs of a fire.
They will also identify any hazards that could lead to a fire in the future and make recommendations to the building management to resolve them.
If the worst happens and fire is detected, fire marshals will instigate and oversee the evacuation of the entire building, contact the emergency services, and brief them on the situation once they arrive.
Who might require waking watch?
Buildings over 18m, which have been found to have either the same Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding as Grenfell, or similar combustible materials within the exterior wall system, require a simultaneous evacuation policy to be put in place until the material is replaced.
A waking watch system is one of the most popular ways to facilitate this.
It is the role of the building manager, landlord, or building owner, to ensure that this is in place, although leaseholders will often see a rise in their service charges to cover the cost.
According to the National Fire Chiefs Council, a waking watch should be put in place alongside the existing standard fire alarm system, ONLY until either a common fire alarm system can be installed, or the cladding is replaced.
Unfortunately, many across the UK have been left paying unnecessarily high bills for a waking watch service due to a lack of funding available for remediation building work.
In 2020, the UK Government did introduce a £30m waking watch relief fund, however, relieving the pressure on some high-rise residents by covering the installation costs of a common alarm system.
What are the main responsibilities of waking watch officers?
When you choose Prime Secure for your waking watch services, until a common fire alarm can be installed, you will get peace of mind that your property is being monitored 24/7 by a team of highly trained experienced Waking Watch Fire Marshals.
Our officers work in accordance with the very latest National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) advice and carry out the following duties with the utmost professionalism:
Fire Identification
The first and most important duty of a waking watch officer is to identify any fires that may have started on the premises.
To do this they will continually patrol both the inside and outside of your property day and night, using their trained eye to spot any irregularities or fire hazards.
They will also note any problems with fire doors or blockages in communal areas that could impede with the evacuation procedure and ensure they are resolved.
Alerting residents
Should a fire be identified, fire marshals will raise the alarm, informing residents of the situation and assisting anyone who requires additional help.
At this point, they will also alert the emergency services to ensure that help is on its way as soon as possible.
Helping with the evacuation
Waking watch is designed to facilitate a simultaneous evacuation and that is exactly what our officers will do, making sure that the carefully designed fire safety plan in place is carried out and that all residents are able to exit the building in a safe but efficient manner.
Once outside, they will take attendance and keep all residents well clear of the property until help arrives.
Briefing the emergency services
Once the fire service does arrive on the scene, waking watch marshals will brief them on the situation, letting them know exactly where the fire was detected, if the evacuation has been fully or partially completed, and whether there is anyone known to be still inside the building who requires assistance.
In highly pressured time critical situations such as a property fire, this information really can be the difference between life and death so having an expert on hand to liaise in a calm and composed manner is invaluable.