Construction Site Fire Watch

Structural steel assembly creates constant ignition sources. While ironworkers tack weld splice plates, our fire watch guard stations himself at the joint before the beam leaves the hoist. He inspects the landing area for sawdust, cardboard, and plastic sleeves, then wets adjacent wood forms with a pressurized extinguisher.

During grinding and welding, he watches slag trajectory and stops work when wind exceeds twenty five miles per hour. Each ignition source is logged with time and GPS coordinates to satisfy OSHA inspectors. After the final weld, the guard remains for thirty minutes and uses an infrared thermometer to confirm that no hidden cavities are smoldering. This systematic coverage eliminates overnight fires that have destroyed entire decks and idled cranes for weeks.

Isolating a standpipe above seventy five feet removes the fire department single ladder water supply and triggers an immediate fire watch requirement on every affected floor. Our guard arrives with a flow meter to verify zone boundaries and radios the pump room before each valve closure. He carries a one hour rated extinguisher, spare hose rack, and a direct channel to the fire command center.

During welding on new riser joints, he controls combustible packing material and keeps salvage tarps wet. If static pressure drops below one hundred psi, he halts all hot work, notifies the fire department, and remains on post until the pump is restored and tested. This disciplined sequence prevents multi story water damage and costly citation records that delay certificate of occupancy release.

Mechanical platforms contain fiberglass insulation, cardboard dampers, and plastic sleeves that can ignite when welders burn rail supports. Our guard pre-screens the deck, removes loose combustibles, and shields remaining material with welding blankets. He verifies that the contractor two A extinguisher is fully charged and inspects the brazing torch for proper back flow prevention.

When refrigerant lines are heated, he monitors adjacent insulation for scorch marks and stations a non water extinguisher near electrical panels. After the final weld cools, he performs a twenty minute thermal scan of surrounding lagging and checks the ceiling below for hidden embers. This finish phase vigilance has prevented smoldering events that would have shut down HVAC startup and delayed beneficial occupancy.