What Is Fire Watch Security? Requirements in BC and When You Need One
What Is Fire Watch Security? Requirements in BC and When You Need One
Written by Paul Thandi, Operations Manager, On Guard Security Ltd. — 10+ years in BC security · Updated September 2026
A fire watch is what keeps a building protected when its normal fire protection isn't working. If a fire alarm panel fails, a sprinkler system is shut down for repairs or a contractor starts welding on the roof, someone has to do the job the system would normally do: walk the building, look for smoke, heat and hazards, and raise the alarm fast. Fire watch security is that job done by trained, licensed guards. This guide explains what a fire watch is, when a BC building needs one, what the guard actually does on each round, how patrol logs work, and what drives the cost.
Key takeaways
A fire watch is a temporary safety measure used while a building's normal fire or life-safety protection is reduced, interrupted or out of service. It does not replace a working system.
Common triggers include an impaired fire alarm or sprinkler system, loss of power or firefighting water supply, blocked exits, and temporary hazards such as hot work.
The building owner or their representative is responsible for starting the fire watch and keeping it in place until protection is fully restored.
Patrol frequency depends on how the building is used. Richmond Fire-Rescue, for example, requires rounds every 15 to 60 minutes depending on occupancy and time of day.
The written patrol log is the evidence that the fire watch was done properly. Keep it at the building.
A fire watch is a temporary, human replacement for fire protection that isn't working. Richmond Fire-Rescue describes it as a temporary safety measure used when a building's normal fire or life-safety protection has been reduced, interrupted or taken out of service, and is clear that it does not replace a working fire-protection system. It covers the gap while the equipment or condition is repaired, and it stays in place until protection is fully restored.
In practice, that means trained people patrolling on a fixed schedule, ready to call 911 and alert occupants the moment they find a problem, and writing down every round.
When the system is down, early detection has to come from people instead. Fire watch security gives you that early warning plus a written record showing the building was protected the whole time.
Richmond Fire-Rescue groups the situations that may call for a fire watch into four categories. They're a useful checklist for any building in the Lower Mainland:
Fire-protection systems impaired. A fire alarm, sprinkler, standpipe, fire pump or another required life-safety system is impaired or unavailable. This is the most common trigger we see, whether it's a panel fault, a planned shutdown for upgrades, or a sprinkler zone drained after a leak.
Power or water supply interrupted. Normal or emergency power is out, or the water supply needed for firefighting systems has been reduced.
Exits and emergency access reduced. Required exits, means of egress, fire lanes or emergency-access routes are blocked, reduced or out of service. This often happens during renovations.
Temporary hazards. Hot work such as welding, cutting or torch-on roofing, repeated nuisance alarms, or another activity that temporarily increases the risk to the building or its occupants.
Construction and renovation projects often tick more than one box at once. Permanent systems may not be commissioned yet, exits change week to week, and hot work is routine. That's why fire watch is often scheduled alongside construction site security on active projects.
The fire department can also order a fire watch directly. If it does, follow its terms exactly.
Key insight: The fire watch trigger and patrol interval come from the fire department and your building's fire safety plan, not from the security company. Confirm the requirement with them first, then book guards to match it.
There isn't one province-wide fire watch checklist that every building follows. Each municipal fire department sets its own procedures, and your building's fire safety plan adds site-specific detail. Richmond Fire-Rescue publishes one of the clearest programs in the Lower Mainland, and its core requirements show what BC fire departments typically expect:
Start immediately. The building owner or designated representative must begin the fire watch and keep it going until the affected protection has been restored.
Use qualified, trained personnel whose assigned duty is the fire watch, not someone fitting it in around other work.
Stay at the building. Fire watch personnel must remain in attendance while the program is active.
Patrol at the required frequency and inspect the building or affected areas each time.
Be ready to call 911, with a reliable way to communicate directly available at all times.
Keep a log of patrols and observations, available at the building.
Richmond sets the patrol interval by how the building is used:
Building use
Required patrol frequency (Richmond Fire-Rescue)
Institutional
Every 15 minutes at all times
Assembly
Every 15 minutes when occupied; every 60 minutes when unoccupied
Residential / sleeping
Every 15 minutes from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.; every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Other occupancies
Every 30 minutes when occupied; every 60 minutes when unoccupied
Richmond also notes that large or complex buildings may need two or more people to complete patrols at the required frequency, and that a new log sheet should be started every 24 hours. You can read the full program on the Richmond Fire-Rescue fire watch page. If your building is in Surrey, Vancouver, Burnaby or elsewhere, check with your local fire department. Their intervals and paperwork may differ.
Key insight: Patrol frequency sets your staffing. A 15-minute round in a large residential tower overnight may need more than one guard, while a 60-minute round in an empty warehouse may need only one. Ask about this before you book.
A good fire watch round is methodical, not a casual walk-through. Here's what our fire watch security officers do on each round:
Walk a defined route through every floor, stairwell, corridor, mechanical and electrical room, storage area, parkade and roof access in the affected area, in the same order each time.
Look, listen and smell for smoke, heat, burning odours, gas odours, sparks or any sign of fire.
Check for hazards such as propped-open fire doors, blocked exits, obstructed extinguishers, combustible storage near heat sources, and unattended hot work.
Watch hot work areas during the work and for the watch period required afterwards, since materials can smoulder and ignite later.
Raise the alarm if they find a fire: call 911, alert occupants, help with evacuation as trained, and notify the building's emergency contacts.
Record the round in the log with the time, areas covered and anything observed.
Fire watch guards don't fight fires or repair systems. Their job is early detection, fast notification and accurate records.
A fire watch is judged by its log. If the fire department asks how the building was protected during a two-day sprinkler outage, or your insurer reviews a claim, the log is the evidence. A useful patrol log records:
the date, the guard's name and the start and end time of each shift;
the time of every round and the areas covered;
any hazards found and what was done about them (for example, "closed propped fire door, level 3 east stairwell");
any alarms, 911 calls or incidents, with times;
handovers between guards.
Keep the log at the building while the watch is active, as Richmond requires, and keep a copy afterwards. When the system is repaired, cancel the watch through your fire department's process. In Richmond, that means a cancellation form submitted with documentation from the servicing technician. Don't stand the guards down until the cancellation is confirmed.
Property managers often ask whether the guard already on site can cover the fire watch. Sometimes that works, but the two roles have different priorities:
Fire watch
General security guard post
Main purpose
Detect fire and fire hazards while protection is impaired
Deter and report theft, trespass, damage and safety issues
Schedule
Fixed rounds at the interval set by the fire department or fire safety plan
Set by the client's post orders; rounds may be randomised
Route focus
Every floor and hazard area in the affected zone, including mechanical rooms and stairwells
Entrances, perimeter, parkades, lobbies and high-theft areas
Duration
Temporary, until the system is restored and the watch is cancelled
Often ongoing or contract-based
Key record
Timed fire watch log for the fire department and insurer
Daily activity and incident reports for the client
The catch is the "assigned duty" requirement. A front-desk guard busy with visitors and deliveries may miss rounds, so for anything beyond a short outage in a small building, a dedicated fire watch guard is the safer choice.
Fire watch security is billed hourly per guard, so the total depends on how many guard-hours the building needs. The main cost drivers are:
Patrol interval. A 15-minute interval in a large building can need more guards than a 60-minute interval.
Building size and layout. More floors, wings and hazard areas mean longer rounds.
Duration. A single overnight shift costs far less than several days of 24-hour coverage while parts are ordered.
Timing and notice. Nights, weekends, statutory holidays and same-day starts can affect the rate.
Extra duties such as hot work monitoring or access control.
The best way to control cost is a firm repair timeline from your fire protection contractor. For general rate context across guard services, see our BC security guard pricing guide.
Most fire watch calls are urgent, but it's worth a few minutes to check the basics before a guard arrives:
Licensing. Guards working for a security company in BC must hold a security worker licence. Basic Security Training through a provider such as the Justice Institute of British Columbia is a 40-hour requirement for that licence. You can check any licence yourself with the province's licence status verification tool.
Availability. Can they start today, cover nights and weekends, and extend if repairs run long?
Documentation. Ask to see a sample fire watch log before you book.
Insurance and WorkSafeBC. Ask for proof of liability insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage.
Briefing. A good provider will ask for your fire safety plan, panel location, emergency contacts and the required interval before the first shift.
At On Guard Security Ltd., every guard is licensed and JIBC-trained, and new officers complete a week of one-on-one training with a senior officer before working alone. We're WorkSafeBC compliant, fully insured, and our operations line is staffed 24/7. If the alarm is also sending false signals while it's being repaired, our alarm response team can attend as well.
We provide fire watch guards on short notice across Surrey, Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Langley, Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley, from a single overnight shift to continuous coverage until your system is restored. Tell us the building address, which system is down, the patrol interval your fire department or fire safety plan requires, and how long the repair is expected to take. We'll confirm guards and a start time.
A fire watch provides temporary monitoring when a building's normal fire or life-safety protection is reduced, interrupted or out of service. Trained people patrol the building to detect fire and hazards early, alert occupants, call 911 and keep a written record until the system is fully restored.
What are the requirements for a fire watch in BC?
Requirements are set by each municipal fire department and your building's fire safety plan. Richmond Fire-Rescue, for example, requires the owner to start the fire watch immediately, use qualified and trained personnel who stay at the building, patrol every 15 to 60 minutes depending on occupancy, keep a way to call 911 available, and keep a patrol log at the building. Check with your local fire department for its exact rules.
What does a fire watch do?
A fire watch guard walks a set route through the affected building at the required interval, checking for smoke, heat, odours and hazards such as blocked exits or propped fire doors. If they find a fire they call 911, alert occupants and notify building contacts. They record every round in a log.
What are the 5 steps of fire safety?
There's no single official five-step list in BC, and different training programs word it differently. For a fire watch, a practical sequence is: prevent hazards, detect fire early, alert occupants, call 911, and support a safe evacuation. Your building's fire safety plan sets the specific procedures to follow.
How long does a fire watch last?
A fire watch lasts until the affected system or condition is repaired and protection is fully restored. That can be one shift or several days. It ends when the fire watch is cancelled through your fire department's process, which in Richmond means a cancellation form with documentation from the servicing technician.
Can building staff do the fire watch instead of a security company?
Sometimes. Richmond Fire-Rescue, for example, requires qualified, trained people whose assigned duty is the fire watch and who stay at the building. If staff can do that without other duties getting in the way, it may be acceptable. For long outages, overnight coverage or large buildings, a dedicated licensed fire watch guard is usually more reliable.
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