Who can perform a fire watch in Texas?

The authority decides

The fire code requires an approved fire watch, and approval belongs to the authority having jurisdiction: in Houston, the Fire Marshal’s Office; elsewhere, the county or city fire marshal. The authority can accept trained staff, require contracted officers, set the interval and the alarm method and require a log in a particular form. Ask before assuming, and follow what the authority says for the building.

What a fire watch person must be able to do

Walk the affected areas on the interval, without other duties. Recognize smoke, heat and fire early. Raise the alarm with the system down, by the method in the plan. Call 911. Warn occupants and start an evacuation by the building’s plan. Use an extinguisher on a fire small enough to put out safely and know when not to. Keep a log that an inspector can read. Stay for the whole watch, with relief arranged for a watch that runs longer than a shift.

Staff, contractors and officers

Building engineers and maintenance staff often cover a short daytime impairment and do it well. Contractors’ crews may assign a trained member as the hot-work watch under the permit. Contracted security officers trained for fire watch cover overnight and multi-day impairments, emergencies that start at midnight, hot work on construction and renovation and any watch the authority or the insurer wants performed by trained officers. Price Protection’s fire watch officers hold Texas security registrations, are trained in fire safety, rounds and logs, and arrive with the log and the post orders.

Under OSHA, for hot work

The employer’s fire watchers must have extinguishing equipment readily available, be trained in its use and be familiar with the facilities for sounding the alarm, and the watch continues at least 30 minutes after the work. The who can perform a fire watch article covers the question in more depth, and the staff vs guards article compares the options. This is a summary, not legal advice.