Fire Watch
Fire Watch Requirements
Fire Watch is a temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic surveillance of a building or portion thereof by one or more qualified individuals for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire and notifying the fire department.
Fire Watch Permit requests shall be submitted to the Fire Department 48-72 hours in advance of scheduled work which creates potential hazardous fire and life safety conditions. Performing a fire watch allows the building owner/occupant to maintain operations while system repairs or maintenance are being conducted.
Temporary Fire Watch: Permit is required when a fire/life safety system will be out of service for unplanned emergency repair, or scheduled maintenance with a duration exceeding (10) hours in a 24-hour period. Upon approval, permit is valid for a period not to exceed 24 hours from approved start date and time, unless otherwise authorized.
Extended Fire Watch: Extended Fire Watch is not to exceed a period of (30) days and is required to be reviewed by the Fire Marshal for final approval. Upon approval, permit is valid for a period not to exceed 30 days from date and time issued.
Submit a Fire Watch Permit Application Online
An hourly fire watch log shall be maintained for the duration of the approved fire watch permit period, with the following information in accordance with the adopted City of Black Hawk Fire Code. Fire watch logs shall include, but are not limited to the following:
- Identification of the building or area by name and address that is under fire watch.
- The date and time each round or tour is complete, plus comments on what was observed.
- Each entry shall contain the name and signature of the person conducting the fire watch.
- Fire watch logs shall be immediately accessible for review by the fire chief, fire code official, or their designee.
Download a PDF of the Fire Watch Log.
When fire watch is completed, an electronic copy of the fire watch log shall be submitted to the Black Hawk Fire Department’s Community Risk Reduction Division immediately following the conclusion of the fire watch to: FireWatch@cityofblackhawk.org.
If you have further questions, please contact the Fire Marshal at 303-582-2255.