5 At-Risk Buildings That Are Advised To Have A Waking Watch For Personal Safety

What Is A Waking Watch?

A Waking watch is a temporary fire safety system that monitors high-fire-risk buildings. Waking watch services appoint a fire warden(s) to patrol high-risk buildings 24/7. Waking watch became part of building management safety in response to fire safety issues in high-risk buildings. Results found by the UK’s government building safety remediation data release from March 2023, 4,329 buildings were identified with unsafe cladding which is a huge fire risk. All identified high-risk buildings will require some form of remediation and will require a waking watch service or to evict tenants until then.

A fire safety epidemic was highlighted in the UK by the horrific events at Grenfell Tower in 2017. Many more buildings are at risk of similar catastrophic events, let’s explore them together.

Fire safety saves lives.

1. High-Rise Residential Building

High-rise residential buildings have a reputation for being rapid-spread fire risks; this has a basis of truth behind it. High-rise flats are particularly prone to large fires due to their design; a vertical structure allows fires to spread rapidly and with ease. Smoke flows upwards through the stairwells and doors as the fire and heat rise. Smoke is more deadly than fire.

Evacuation becomes difficult in tall blocks of flats, communal fire exits become blocked by smoke, and alternative escape routes are harder to come by due to the height of the building. There are many more residents to alert of the danger. Within a short space of time, people become trapped.

A waking watch service can help prevent a catastrophic outcome by alerting residents, and emergency services; slowing the spread of the fire quickly. Fire warden services allow for a much safer high-rise environment.

2. Buildings With Combustible Cladding

Cladding is the outer layer of material on buildings such as high-rise flats, office buildings and renovated concrete buildings. Cladding is made up of two main components, a thermal insulated layer and a front facade panel on the outside. Not all cladding is dangerous, mineral wool, cement panels and concrete are all safe to use and are good insulators. You can explore the different types of cladding here.

Buildings with combustible cladding are a high fire risk due to the material it is made from. Once expanded polystyrene (EPS) or polyurethane (PUR) (often found in dangerous cladding) is exposed to flames, it can result in rapid fire spread on the outside of the building. If the outer building is on fire, the exits become blocked and people are trapped inside the building with no escape route.

Rainscreen cladding systems require an open cavity for the insulation to ‘breathe’ which becomes an oxygen-based accelerator. The oxygen within the cavities creates a ‘chimney-like’ effect which allows the fire and smoke to travel rapidly upwards through the vertical pathway of a high-rise or concrete conversion.

Having a waking watch service at residences with dangerous cladding allows residents to be warned before the fire spreads and blocks off exits. The waking watch will also be made aware of vulnerable residents in the building so they can be assisted appropriately in actioning their personal emergency evacuation plan.

3. Large Unoccupied Commercial Buildings

Large unoccupied commercial buildings pose a fire risk that isn’t necessarily a risk to life but a risk to property. An unoccupied building means that there is nobody inside to raise the alarm and prevent the fire from spreading throughout the area. Nobody will be there to know if fire alarm batteries need to be replaced or if any wires are damaged.

Unoccupied spaces are also often places for anti-social behaviour or become places for vagrants to sleep. Both of these factors will increase the risk of fire and the reality of unaccounted-for victims of the fire. In an unoccupied building, the fire alarms are highly likely to be faulty. Someone is 10 times more likely to die in a fire if there is no working smoke alarm, which would put vagrants at a higher risk in an unoccupied building.

Having an active fire warden(s) in the building will promote less anti-social behaviour and will give the building owners peace of mind for the safety of the property. The waking watch will alert the authorities and help prevent the spread of fire.

4. Care Homes And Health Care Facilities

Care homes and healthcare facilities host a lot of vulnerable people who will require assistance during an emergency. Often, there are electricals placed too close to flammable equipment such as oxygen tanks which poses a fire risk. There are also limited rules in place in a lot of care facilities on smoking so carelessly discarded cigarettes can cause fires which spread so quickly because of the flammable materials in the area.

Evacuating healthcare facilities can be a logistical challenge in an emergency despite having personal emergency evacuation plans in place. There will always be new issues that arise during a crisis, a waking watch’s job is to lower the risk of a large-scale evacuation occurring. Waking watch works with care home teams to monitor the fire risks 24/7, and will raise the alarm in the case of an emergency.

5. Hotels And Hostels

Emergencies in hotels and hostels aren’t unusual but a waking watch service is there to keep the fire risk at a minimum. Due to the nature of hotels and hostels, there are always new temporary residents who might not be aware of fire exits or escape plans. Having a dedicated fire marshall ensures the alarm will be raised in an emergency and guests/staff will be instructed on following fire protocols.

In UK hotels, the main causes of fires is kitchen and cooking equipment, cigarettes, faulty electrical equipment and heating appliances. Waking watch services are trained to spot different types of fires early to minimise damage to life and property.

Benefits Of A Waking Watch

Waking watch teams offer:

• 24/7 fire patrolling: Personnel patrol the building at all times to monitor for potential fire hazards or signs of fire.

• Contact the fire service: In the event of a fire or emergency, they will contact the fire service immediately to report the incident.

• Continuous risk monitoring: Monitoring the building’s fire alarms, firefighting equipment, and evacuation routes, reporting any concerns or issues to building management or fire safety authorities.

• Detect fires: Ensures that any fire or smoke is detected as early as possible.

• Raise the alarm: In the event of a fire, personnel can act quickly to raise the alarm.

• Evacuate: Ensure that people can begin evacuating as soon as possible. Helping people to exit the building safely, guiding them to assembly points, and ensuring that vulnerable residents are assisted appropriately.

• Act as a point of contact: They are a key point of contact for residents in case of fire-related concerns.

• Support personal emergency evacuation plans: The team will be aware of individuals who need special assistance and will help implement emergency evacuation plans.

Keeping People In High-Risk Buildings Safe

In conclusion, whilst high-risk buildings are dangerous, the chance of damage to life and property can be significantly lowered with a waking watch service. In the year ending March 2023: there were 178,737 fires attended by FRSs in England, a 17% increase compared with the year ending March 2022 (152,639), with fires on the rise, a waking watch service in high-risk buildings is essential to prevent catastrophic damages.

There are many options for waking watch companies, we are firefighter-led. At Fire and Evacuation Services, we take immense pride in evacuation management and elevating the standards of what an organisation can expect from a waking watch. We have high levels of competence and experience drawn from our extensive fire & Rescue backgrounds. We use our expertise gained from our roles as Fire Wardens.

Although waking watch isn’t a long-term solution, it is a temporary measure to ensure high-risk buildings are as safe as possible without evacuating. Combining waking watch with comprehensive evacuation plans and knowledge of residents’ needs will lead to a much more comfortable and safe environment.