Fire Watch Procedures

The purpose of fire watch is to check all areas of the building on a regular basis for fire/life safety emergencies. If an emergency is found, the person(s) assigned to fire watch are responsible for calling 911 and to alert the facility occupants to take appropriate action as early as possible.

A fire watch is a short-term, emergency measure intended to provide an acceptable level of life safety in a building that has an impaired fire safety system. Fire watch is a compensatory measure only. It is intended to allow continued occupancy of a building or facility that may not be safe for building occupants during the time period required for implementing appropriate changes or repairs.

When fire watch is required

Fire watch procedures should be implemented immediately when any of the following conditions are discovered:

  • Outage or significant impairment of the fire alarm signaling system.
  • Outage or significant impairment of the automatic fire suppression system.
  • Outage or significant impairment of the facility water supply.
  • Impairment of the facility’s exiting system not significant enough to warrant evacuation and shutdown of the facility.

These requirements apply to all buildings within the City of Lenexa, which are protected by required fire alarm and/or fire sprinkler system. Fire watch shall be maintained during entire period of facility occupancy.

When an impairment to these systems are discovered, all building occupants must be notified and the facility manager must notify the Lenexa Fire Department. Additional required notifications include the insurance carrier, alarm company, and the building owner/manager.

Healthcare occupancies and schools are also required to notify the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) of fire watch conditions. The OSFM can be reached at 785.296.3401.

Fire watch procedures

  • Person(s) assigned to the fire watch shall check all areas of the building for fire/life safety emergencies. Any emergency found shall be reported by calling 911 and notifying all building occupants.
  • Special attention shall be paid to storage areas, janitor closets, attics, utility spaces, and other normally unoccupied areas.
  • All areas are to be checked at least hourly. More frequent checks may be mandated if required.
  • If an emergency is found, facility occupants and emergency responders shall be notified immediately.
  • Person(s) assigned to the fire watch shall have no other duties.
  • Person(s) assigned to the fire watch shall document fire watch activities on the Lenexa Fire Department Fire Watch Log. This documentation shall be submitted to the fire code official when requested.
  • The Lenexa Fire Department must be contacted when impaired services are restored.

Remember, fire watches are compensatory measures only and cannot be used in lieu of compliance with fire and life safety systems required by applicable fire and building codes.

Fire Watch Policy & Log(PDF, 930KB)

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