Waking Watch Relief Fund: Everything You Need to Know

In 2023, the government introduced a £30 million fund to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in buildings with unsafe cladding, known as the Waking Watch Relief Fund. This fund was Introduced as a means to cover the installation costs of a common alarm system at higher-risk residential buildings, the 2023 fund is a revised version of the earlier £35 million Waking Watch Relief Fund (WWRF) and the £27 million Waking Watch Replacement Fund 2022.

This guide will tell you what you need to know about the Waking Watch Relief Fund, and Waking Watch services, to ensure you keep your buildings safe and secure.

What is the Waking Watch Relief Fund?

The government announced a £30 million fund to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in buildings with unsafe cladding. Common Alarms systems will enable costly Waking Watch measures to be replaced in buildings waiting to have unsafe cladding removed.

The fund builds on guidance published by the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) on buildings that change from a ‘Stay Put’ to a ‘Simultaneous Evacuation’ fire safety strategy.

Whilst waking watch, when established and operated in accordance with NFCC guidance, is an acceptable risk mitigation strategy, the guidance is clear alarms are preferable on the grounds of both safety and cost efficiency.

Find out more about the Waking Watch Relief Fund here.

How to Apply for the Waking Watch Relief Fund

The Waking Watch Relief Fund application period has now closed, however, you may still be able to implement the alarm system that was funded by Waking Watch Relief. To do this, you may need to contact your local government and see if there is any further support available.

Waking Watch Services

A waking watch comprised of serving firefighters offers an unparalleled level of service compared to other providers. In the event of a fire, our team takes swift action, alerting emergency services and ensuring that everyone in the building is fully aware of the emergency and capable of evacuating safely.

While our expertise is often sought for high-rise tower blocks, we are versatile and capable of working with various building types. We emphasise the paramount importance of ensuring the safety and welfare of not only your property but, crucially, the residents, visitors, and employees.

The Benefits of Using A Waking Watch Service

By choosing Fire & Evacuation Services for your waking watch services, you will benefit from:

• Site Specific Risk Inspection

• Site Specific Emergency Response Plan & Training

• Premises Information Box maintenance

• NFCC Simultaneous Evacuation Strategy

• Liaising with local Fire & Rescue Service

• Evacuation Chair Trained

• Personnel on the ground in 4 hours

• Establish Risk Matrix

• Develop Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan

• Risk Assessment reviewed

• Significant findings considered

• Patrol and Reporting established

When Do You Need Waking Watch Services?

Waking watch services are an option for residential buildings that have dangerous cladding or other fire safety issues that have forced a change in their evacuation policy.

The previous fire safety policy for some high-rise tower blocks was to “stay put”. This meant if the fire was confined to one residence, only the occupants of that residence needed to evacuate as the fire was contained.

However, we now know that this is extremely dangerous in buildings with combustible cladding and other fire safety issues as fires can spread rapidly. So, some high-rise residential buildings now require a “simultaneous evacuation” policy in which every resident and person in the building must evacuate to a safe space away from the building if a fire is detected.

A waking watch service is also required in response to an alarm system failure or update.

In any of these instances, a waking watch should not be considered a long-term solution. But rather it is an important interim solution while issues are fixed or a sustainable fire safety solution is put in place.

If you have a building that you feel would benefit from our Waking Watch service, then don’t hesitate to contact us here at F&ES.