Waking Watch & Fire Watch Services
Trained waking watch and fire watch officers who patrol your building, spot fire risks early and raise the alarm, protecting residents, workers and property while fire safety works are completed.
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Continuous Fire Patrols
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Raising the Alarm & Evacuation Support
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Fire Door & Escape Route Checks
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Hot Works Fire Watch
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Timed Patrol Logs & Reports
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SIA-Licensed Officers, 24/7 Helpdesk
2015
Founder and CEO
50+
YEARS EXPERIENCE
24/7
OPERATIONS
UK-Wide
COVERAGE
1,250+ DIRECTLY
employed staff
Professional Guarding at Every Scale
"A waking watch keeps trained eyes on your building around the clock, so a fire is spotted early and everyone gets out safely while longer-term fire safety measures are put in place."
Uniguard provides waking watch and fire watch officers for residential blocks, student accommodation, construction sites and commercial buildings across the UK. A waking watch is a temporary measure used when a building's fire safety has been compromised, for example by unsafe cladding or a faulty fire alarm, and the evacuation strategy has changed. Our officers patrol continuously, check fire doors, escape routes and alarm panels, and are ready to raise the alarm and help people leave the building. We also provide fire watch cover for hot works, alarm outages and shutdowns.
What Is a Waking Watch?
A waking watch is a team of trained officers who patrol a building continuously to look for signs of fire. If they find one, they raise the alarm, call the fire service and help people leave. It is used as a temporary safety measure when a building's fire protection has been compromised.
When Do You Need a Waking Watch?
Your fire risk assessor or the fire service may advise a waking watch when:
- Unsafe cladding or external wall problems have been found.
- The fire alarm system is faulty, being upgraded or not yet installed.
- The evacuation strategy has changed from stay put to simultaneous evacuation.
- Remediation or fire safety works are under way.
Waking Watch and Common Fire Alarms
The National Fire Chiefs Council's Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance says a waking watch should be a short-term measure, and recommends installing a common fire alarm where possible. We can provide waking watch cover while an alarm is designed and installed, and plan cover around your works.
Fire Watch for Hot Works and Construction
Welding, cutting and grinding create a real fire risk on construction and refurbishment sites. Our fire watch officers stay with the work area during and after hot works, check for smouldering materials and keep extinguishers and escape routes ready, in line with your permit to work.
Who We Work With
- Building owners and managing agents.
- Housing associations and local councils.
- Student accommodation providers.
- Construction and remediation contractors.
- Commercial property managers.
What Our
Service Delivers
From single-officer deployments to large-scale guarding contracts, every Uniguard service is built around your specific risk profile, operational requirements and site environment never a generic off-the-shelf solution.
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Continuous Fire Patrols
Regular patrols of every floor, corridor and common area to spot smoke, fire or hazards early.
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Raising the Alarm
Officers raise the alarm, call the fire service and alert residents if a fire is found.
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Evacuation Support
Helping residents and occupants leave the building safely in line with your evacuation strategy.
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Escape Route Checks
Checks that escape routes, fire doors and stairwells are clear, closed and working.
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Fire Alarm Cover
Interim cover when a fire alarm system is faulty, being replaced or out of action.
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Hot Works Fire Watch
Fire watch during and after welding, cutting, grinding and other hot works on site.
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Patrol Logs & Reporting
Timed patrol records, hazard notes and incident reports for building managers.
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Flexible Short-Term Cover
Cover for nights, weekends or 24/7 until fire safety works or alarm installation are complete.
The Difference You'll Notice From Day One
We don't just fill a post we build a security presence that becomes a genuine, trusted asset to your operation from the moment we deploy.
SIA-Licensed, BS 7858 Vetted Officers
Briefed on Your Fire Strategy
24/7 Helpdesk Support
Timed Patrol Records
Hot Works Fire Watch
Cover Until Works Are Complete
Our Deployment Process
From your first enquiry to your first shift we move quickly, thoroughly, and without compromise on quality or safety.
01
Building & Risk Review
We review your building, fire risk assessment and evacuation strategy with you.
02
Patrol Plan
We agree patrol routes, frequency, staffing levels and escalation contacts.
03
Officer Briefing
Officers are briefed on the building layout, alarm panel and evacuation procedures.
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Waking Watch Cover
Patrols begin with timed logs and incident reports until the fire safety works are complete.
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