The University of Alabama, Division of Finance and Operations

Fire Watch Policy

Unit:  Environmental Health and Safety
Contact: Gene Holcomb
Title:  Assistant Director
Effective Date: 03/27/2023
Revision Date: 03/30/2023

 
 

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the University of Alabama ("University") is in compliance with the International Fire Code (IFC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards, and state and local ordinances. This policy is specifically intended to address situations in which fire protection and/or alarms are out of service due to damage or maintenance, or when work involving electric or gas welding, cutting, brazing, or similar flame or spark-producing operations (collectively, "Hot Work") is being performed.  During such occurrences a Fire Watch may be required.  A Fire Watch is a temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic surveillance of a building by one or more qualified individuals for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of smoke or fire, raising an alarm of fire, and notifying the fire department.

Policy

It is the University's policy to institute a Fire Watch when a building’s fire alarm, sprinkler or other suppression systems are impaired or temporarily out of service, or when Hot Work is being performed.  Fire Watches are to be conducted in accordance with guidelines established by the Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).

Guidelines

Fire Watches are posted in response to an outage or impairment, at the request of the Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue (TFR), or by EHS responding to the incident.  EHS will provide the Impairment Coordinator (person notifying EHS of impairment) with specific information related to the number of personnel required, qualifications of those responsible for performing the fire watch duty, and instructions to assist those performing the fire watch duties.  Fire Watch Personnel are required to continually patrol the facility or site for evidence of smoke, fire, or any abnormal conditions. Whenever a situation which threatens life or property is discovered, the Fire Watch Personnel must immediately contact emergency personnel at 205-348-5454, sound the alarm (if available), alert the building occupants, and assist in the orderly evacuation of the facility.  When making the determination if a fire watch is required, EHS refers to the guidelines below that are based on building occupancy type. 
 

Building Occupancy Type		 Alarm Inoperable Monitoring Inoperable Sprinkler Inoperable Pump Inoperable
Residential (R)
Dormitories, Sororities, Fraternities
YES
NO 1 & 2
YES
YES
Business (B)
Offices, Labs, Shops, Education above 12th grade
YES
NO 1
YES 5
YES
Educational (E)
Child Day Care, Brewer Porch, designated spaces in Tom Barnes Hall
YES
NO 1
NO 3
NO
Assembly (A)
Lecture Halls, Cafeterias, Sports Arenas, Theaters
YES
YES 4
YES
YES
Institutional (I)
Nursing Homes, Assisted Living
YES
NO 1 & 2
YES
YES
Storage (S)
Parking garages, Warehouses, Aircraft Hangers
NO 1
YES
NO
YES
  1. No fire watch is required if occupants are notified that the fire alarm monitoring system is down and informed that they should call 911 or 348-5454 in event of fire or alarm.
  2. No fire watch is required if EHS has dedicated a person to contact emergency personnel until the fire alarm monitoring system is restored.
  3. No fire watch is required if the building is equipped with a full fire alarm with smoke detection.
  4. Occupant load may be temporarily reduced to 99 or less without establishing a fire watch.
  5. If the building is equipped with a full fire alarm with smoke detection, occupant load may be temporarily reduced to 99 or less without establishing a fire watch.

Selecting Fire Watch Personnel

Fire Watch Personnel must be responsible individuals who are able to continuously patrol the affected area without having additional job duties or functions.  Fire Watch Personnel must be able to notify others, such as emergency personnel, of any fire related concerns such as the presence of smoke, fire, water, or an abnormal condition such as a blocked egress route. 

Fire Watch Log

Fire Watch Personnel must maintain a fire watch log. Log entries shall be made hourly, if not sooner, and at the completion of each shift. Log entries shall consist of the date and time the shift was completed, a summary of what was observed, and the name and signature of the Fire Watch Personnel conducting the Fire Watch. The Fire Watch Log shall be kept readily accessible for review by EHS and TFR. Once all equipment has been returned to normal operation and the outage is complete, copies of the fire watch log shall be sent to the Impairment Coordinator and the Fire Safety or Safety Manager at EHS.

Contractor

All general contractors working on campus are responsible for maintaining a robust Hot Work/Fire Watch Program (e.g., welding, cutting materials that generate sparks, operations generating sufficient heat to ignite combustible materials, etc.) that meets the requirements of OSHA regulation 29 CFR §1926.352, NFPA Standards 51B. This program must include reliable methods to issue hot work permits, provide a fire watch when needed, and have fire extinguishers at the hot work location in the event of a fire.  The general contractor must extend this requirement to all subcontractors.

Enforcement

Failure to comply with the requirements specified in this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. In some circumstances, failure to comply may also result in criminal charges or fines.

Scope

This policy applies to all areas of the University engaging in the responsibility of conducting or notifying of a need to perform a fire watch.
 		 
 

Office of the Vice President of Finance and Operations

Approved by Cheryl Mowdy, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Operations, 03/30/2023