TL;DR: In Colorado, you usually need a fire watch when a required fire alarm or sprinkler system is offline for more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period and people are still in the building. Your local fire code official can be stricter. Denver adds a reporting step and a fire watch permit. The quickest way to end a watch is to get the system repaired, tested and documented.
A Colorado business needs a fire watch when a required fire alarm or sprinkler system stays out of service past the local time limit and people are still in the building. Under state policy and in Denver, that limit is more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period. Your local fire code official can set stricter rules, so check with yours.
Fire watch requirements in Colorado come from three places: NFPA standards, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), and the city or fire district that enforces the fire code where your building sits. This guide shows how those rules fit together for Denver metro and Front Range properties.
What is a fire watch?
A fire watch is one or more trained people who walk a building looking for fire while the automatic systems can’t do that job. If they find a fire, they call 911, warn the people inside and help start the evacuation.
DFPC policy says people on a fire watch cannot have other duties besides the watch, except tasks the local fire department gives them. They also aren’t expected to fight a fire any more than regular staff would. So your receptionist or a busy maintenance tech can’t cover the watch in between other jobs.
When do fire watch requirements apply in Colorado?
A fire watch applies when a required system is impaired and the building stays occupied past the time limit. DFPC says any facility with a fire alarm or sprinkler system must run a fire watch if that system will be offline for more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period. National standards use similar clocks. NFPA 25 sets a 10-hour mark for water-based systems like sprinklers. NFPA 101 uses 4 hours for a required fire alarm system.
Count all the hours the system was down in the 24-hour window, not just one stretch. Two shorter outages can add up past the limit.
| Rule source | Fire watch trigger | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| NFPA 25 (sprinklers and other water-based systems) | Out of service more than 10 hours in 24 hours | The impairment coordinator must arrange an evacuation, an approved fire watch or another approved measure |
| NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (fire alarms) | Out of service more than 4 hours in 24 hours | Notify the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), then evacuate or provide an approved fire watch |
| Colorado DFPC fire watch policy | Fire alarm or sprinkler system offline more than 10 hours in 24 hours | Set patrol times, a log kept on site and an online report when the watch ends |
| City and County of Denver | Every impairment must be reported; a watch and permit are needed after 10 hours | Fire watch permit, notice to the monitoring company and paperwork showing the system is restored |
Which rule controls depends on where your building is and how it’s used. A warehouse in Aurora or an office park in Broomfield answers to the fire code official who enforces the code there. Our overview of Colorado State Fire Marshal requirements for commercial buildings explains how state and local authority overlap.
What does Denver require during a system impairment?
Denver requires you to report any time a fire alarm or sprinkler system is compromised, not only when a fire watch starts. Based on the City and County of Denver system down reporting page, the process looks like this:
- Report the impairment on the city’s online system down reporting site.
- Tell your monitoring company the system is down. Then the monitoring center knows what is going on before it notifies emergency services.
- If the system will be down longer than 10 hours, get a fire watch permit and start the watch.
- Have your paperwork ready: an NFPA 72 System Record of Completion for fire alarms, or an NFPA 13 Material and Test Certificate for sprinkler and fire pump systems.
Denver also has rules for maintenance work. Its code amendments say no part of a fire alarm system should be out of service for more than 10 hours during maintenance or changes. Manual pull stations and notification appliances must keep working the whole time. Denver also warns that if a system is found impaired two or more times in 12 months, legal action can follow. Fixing repeat problems costs less than running into that rule.
How often must fire watch patrols happen?
Under DFPC policy, the patrol must cover the whole affected area at least every 15 minutes in higher-risk buildings and at least every 30 minutes everywhere else. The 15-minute rule applies when:
- People sleep in the facility
- Some occupants can’t get themselves out in an emergency
- An assembly space is occupied
A large warehouse or multi-floor office may need more than one person to cover the full route in time. Keep a fire watch log on site for the whole watch. DFPC asks owners to upload the log when the watch ends. Owners must also tell DFPC, the monitoring company and the local fire department that the watch is over. Ending the watch is the owner’s job.
Should you run a fire watch or close the building?
Most businesses choose a fire watch so they can stay open, but each choice has tradeoffs.
Pros of staying open under a fire watch
- Tenants, staff and customers can keep using the space
- Critical operations, like cold storage or server rooms, keep running
- A trained person is on site to spot hazards early
Cons of staying open under a fire watch
- Each person on watch can’t do anything else, so staffing costs add up fast
- A person on patrol can’t control a growing fire the way automatic sprinklers can
- Permits, logs and reports add paperwork
- The watch runs nonstop, day and night, until the system is restored
The fastest way to end a fire watch is to fix the system. Plan shutdowns in phases short enough to stay under the 10-hour clock. Have parts on hand before you drain a system. Keep up with routine testing so small problems don’t turn into impairments. Our guide to NFPA 25 inspection requirements in Colorado covers that schedule. Cold snaps along the Front Range can freeze sprinkler piping in unheated areas. Winter is a good time to check those spots before they fail.
Colorado also puts duties on contractors. Under the state fire suppression program rules, a contractor who finds an impaired sprinkler system must send the reports to the local fire department and the AHJ within 24 hours. If an inspection finds an impairment, expect the authorities to hear about it fast.
Why Pre Action Fire, Inc. is a fit for impairment repairs
- Pre Action Fire, Inc. is a family-owned commercial fire protection company based at 2921 W 38th Ave in Denver.
- We have served businesses across the Denver metro area and the Front Range since 2009.
- All of our technicians are NICET certified.
- We are licensed with the Colorado State Fire Marshal and work to NFPA standards, including NFPA 72 and NFPA 25.
- We offer 24/7 emergency fire protection, and same day service is available.
- We install and repair fire alarm systems, install fire sprinkler systems and provide fire system certification.
If a system is down or you have a shutdown coming up, call Pre Action Fire at (303) 682-0113 or book an estimate at preactionfire.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my own employees serve as the fire watch?
Often yes, as long as they are trained and do nothing else while on watch. DFPC policy says fire watch staff cannot have other duties except those the local fire department assigns. Check with your local fire code official, since some have their own training expectations.
Does a fire watch replace repairing the system?
No. A fire watch is a short-term stopgap that runs only until the system is back in service. Denver’s guidelines say the watch must stay in effect nonstop until the system is fully working again.
Do I need to tell my monitoring company about an impairment?
Yes. Denver’s process and DFPC policy both call for notifying the monitoring company. DFPC also asks owners to notify the monitoring company again when the fire watch ends.
Who decides when the fire watch can end?
Under DFPC policy, the owner ends the fire watch once the system is fully restored, then notifies DFPC, the monitoring company and the local fire department. In Denver, have restoration paperwork, like an NFPA 72 Record of Completion, ready to show.
Is a frozen sprinkler pipe considered an impairment?
Yes. If a frozen or burst pipe means part of the sprinkler system can’t work, that part is impaired and the time limit starts counting. Report it and schedule the repair right away.
Recommended Reads
- NFPA 25 Inspection Requirements Explained for Colorado Commercial Property Owners
- Commercial Fire Extinguisher Inspection Requirements in Colorado: What You Must Know
- Colorado State Fire Marshal Requirements: What Commercial Building Owners Must Comply With