Waking Watch & fire safety
Waking Watch and fire safety services
When a building cannot rely on its fire-alarm system or compartmentation, people need a trained team on site, awake and ready to raise the alarm. We provide that cover — and we help you get out of it as soon as it is safe to do so.
What a Waking Watch is for
A Waking Watch is an interim measure. It is put in place when a fire risk assessment finds that a building's evacuation strategy has changed — usually from stay put to simultaneous evacuation — because of cladding, compartmentation or alarm defects that cannot be fixed overnight. Until the building has a common fire alarm or the remediation is complete, trained wardens patrol continuously so that a fire is detected early and every resident is alerted and guided out.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) guidance sets out how the watch should be run: the number of wardens for the building's size and layout, patrol frequency, how the alarm is raised, how the fire and rescue service is called, and how the arrangement is recorded and reviewed. Our procedures follow that guidance, and the responsible person receives the documentation the fire and rescue service expects to see.
What we provide
- Waking Watch patrols — wardens on site 24 hours a day, patrolling every floor on an agreed schedule with NFC check-points so every patrol is logged.
- Fire marshals and fire watch — cover for hot works, alarm faults, system upgrades, events and construction phases where the fire-detection system is out of action.
- Evacuation support — rehearsed procedures, resident briefings in plain language, and assistance for residents who need help to leave.
- Transition to a common fire alarm — we work with your fire engineer and alarm contractor so the watch is reduced in stages and removed the moment the alarm is commissioned.
- Reporting — patrol logs, incident reports and a weekly summary shared with the managing agent, housing association or freeholder.
How quickly can it start?
Waking Watch requirements rarely come with notice. Tell us the building address, the number of floors and flats, the findings of the fire risk assessment and when cover is needed; we confirm warden numbers, the start time and a written price the same day. Cover can usually begin within 24 hours in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester and within 48 hours elsewhere in England.
Keeping the cost under control
A Waking Watch is expensive because it is labour: every hour, every warden. Three things keep the bill as low as it safely can be:
- Right-sizing — warden numbers are based on the building's actual layout and risk, not a standard rate per block.
- Reviewing monthly — as interim measures are installed, we reassess with the responsible person and reduce cover in writing.
- Alarm first — where a common fire alarm can be installed quickly, it almost always costs less than a watch over the same period; we will say so.
Waking Watch and fire-safety pages
Detailed guidance and local information.
Waking Watch supplier
Who we are, how we mobilise and what the fire and rescue service will ask for.
Fire marshals
Hot works, alarm faults, events and construction fire watch.
What is a Waking Watch?
A plain-English guide for residents, leaseholders and managing agents.
Waking Watch in Manchester
Cover for Greater Manchester buildings from our Manchester team.
Waking Watch in London
Rapid deployment for London boroughs and the South East.
Waking Watch in Yorkshire
Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Wakefield and across the county.
How a Waking Watch is set up
Assessment
We review the fire risk assessment and visit the building to agree patrol routes, alarm-raising points and warden numbers.
Mobilisation
Wardens are briefed on the building, evacuation strategy and resident needs. Cover starts on the agreed date and time — often within 24 hours.
Operation
Continuous patrols with logged check-points, a supervisor on call, and clear instructions for raising the alarm and calling the fire service.
Review and step-down
Monthly reviews with the responsible person; cover is reduced and then withdrawn as interim measures or the common alarm come into service.
Waking Watch questions
Who decides whether a building needs a Waking Watch?
The responsible person, on the advice of the fire risk assessor and, where involved, the local fire and rescue service. We provide the cover and the documentation; we do not make the legal determination.
How many wardens will the building need?
It depends on floors, the number of flats per floor, layout, resident needs and how the alarm will be raised. NFCC guidance gives the method; we propose numbers after seeing the building and explain the reasoning in writing.
Can you start before a contract is signed?
For urgent cases we can mobilise on a short written instruction while the contract is finalised, so residents are not left without cover.
Do you help us end the Waking Watch?
Yes. We review the arrangement with you monthly and work with your fire engineer and alarm contractor so cover is reduced and then withdrawn as soon as it is safe.
Which areas do you cover?
Waking Watch cover is available nationwide. Our teams are based in Leeds and Manchester, with regular deployments across Yorkshire, the North West, the Midlands and London.
Need Waking Watch cover quickly?
Send the building details and we will confirm warden numbers, start date and an itemised price the same day.