Fire Watch Action Plan

Contents

1 Fire Watch Action Plan
- 1.1 Sprinkler Outage?

Sprinkler Outage?

Your building’s sprinklers go down. The clock starts ticking faster than a Midtown pedestrian signal. In NYC, you’ve got exactly 4 hours before the FDNY considers you “non-compliant” and those fines hurt worse than a July subway platform. Here’s how to respond without losing your cool (or your certificate of occupancy).

The First 60 Minutes: Damage Control Mode

When that alarm panel starts flashing, immediately:

Confirm the outage scope – Is it one floor or the whole building? (Pro tip: Check the riser room first)
Activate your building’s emergency plan – This isn’t the time for improvising like a subway performer
Dispatch fire guards – They need to be onsite before hour 2 to avoid violations

The FDNY’s Non-Negotiables

Skip any of these steps, and you’re basically writing the city a check:

Hourly patrol logs documenting every floor check (FW-101 forms only – no notebook scribbles)
Visible impairment notices at all elevators and entrances (8.5×11″ minimum, because size matters)
24/7 guard coverage until systems are restored (yes, even during that midnight pizza run)

2024’s New Twist: Digital Verification

The FDNY now requires:

Time-stamped photos of impaired equipment (uploaded to their portal within 1 hour)
QR code check-ins for all fire watch patrols (because pencil-whipping logs is so 2019)

Last month, a Chelsea condo board got fined $8,000 for using “the wrong shade of paper” for notices. We wish we were joking.