JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIRE WATCH PROGRAM

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1 1 JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIRE WATCH PROGRAM PURPOSE: To minimize potential structural damages and to protect the life safety of all building occupants during periods when the automatic fire alarm and/or extinguishing systems are inoperable for 4 hours or more during a 24 hour period or when hot work is being conducted in or on the grounds of a Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) facility. OBJECTIVES: 1. To ensure all pertinent agencies are notified of a fire in a timely manner to provide adequate response time in an effort to minimize structural damage. 2. To provide immediate notification of a fire or signs of a fire to building occupants to ensure the timely evacuation of occupied structures in order to protect the life safety of all occupants. 3. To comply with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes. SCOPE: This plan applies to all JCPS facilities and to all JCPS employees and contractors throughout the entire calendar year. DEFINITIONS 1. AHJ- Authority Having Jurisdiction 2. Fire Watch- The assignment of a person or persons to an area for the express purpose of notifying the fire department, the building occupants, or both of an emergency; preventing a fire from occurring; extinguishing small fires; or protecting the public from fire or life safety dangers. (NFPA ) 3. Hot Work- Any activity that utilizes a process or equipment that produces a spark, flame or heat. This includes, but is not limited to, welding, heat treating, grinding, thawing pipe, powder driven fasteners, hot riveting, torch work, and similar applications. (NFPA ) 4. Hot Work Permit- The JCPS approved permit that documents that the applicable OSHA and NFPA fire prevention and protection requirements have been implemented prior to beginning the hot work operations; it shall indicate the date(s) the hot work will be conducted; and identify the object on which hot work is to be preformed. The permit shall be kept on file until the hot work operation is complete. ([OSHA (k)(2)])

2 2 5. Post: To require or initiate a fire watch. 6. Tour: A periodic inspection of the building or area for which a fire watch has been posted. 7. Qualified Person- A person who meets or exceeds the qualification requirements provided in this plan. RESPONSIBILITIES Fire Watch Personnel The duties and functions of those personnel assigned to conduct the fire watch are as follows: 1. Conducting tours and/or inspections of the facility and/or affected area for fire or signs that a fire is likely to occur. 2. Discovery of fire and immediate notification to 911 and (Radio Room). 3. Operation of fire extinguishers. 4. Monitoring signals of fire alarm systems. 5. Detecting conditions likely to reduce the effectiveness with which a fire may be controlled, such as missing or discharged fire extinguishers or damaged fire safety equipment. 6. Maintain a detailed log of activities conducted throughout the duration of the fire watch. Radio Room Dispatcher The Radio Room Dispatcher will document the date and time the fire watch was initiated and the date and time the fire watch was ended. In addition, the dispatcher will be responsible for notifying the Safety and Environmental Services upon receiving notification of the fire watch. Safety and Environmental Services The Safety and Environmental Services department will be responsible for maintaining and updating the Fire Watch program as needed or required. Safety and Environmental Services will contact the AHJ when a fire watch is initiated or special approval is needed. Contractors All contractors, their employees, and subcontractors must fully comply with this program whenever hot work is being conducted or fire alarm and/or suppression systems are disabled they must seek the appropriate JCPS Department Manager for approval. JCPS Directors and Department Managers Departmental Managers shall ensure that all employees and contractors fully comply with this program and are provided with this plan prior to conducting any activities that would require the initiation of a fire watch as set forth in this plan. In addition, a Director, Manager or designee must approve and sign all hot work permits prior to work being conducted.

3 3 POSTING REQUIREMENTS A fire watch shall be posted and the entirety of this program shall be implemented anytime one or more of the following conditions exist: Occupied Facilities The fire protection sprinkler system is completely disabled or disabled to a point where the system cannot be relied upon to activate in the event of a fire. The fire alarm system is silenced or in trouble. The standpipe system is completely disabled or disabled to a point where the system cannot be relied upon to deliver water for fire fighting operations. The fire alarm and/or sprinkler system is disabled in any part of the facility. The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) determines that a situation requires the posting of a fire watch. Authorized hot work is being conducted in or adjacent to the facility. (See JCPS Hot Work Safety Program) Unoccupied Facilities Unoccupied facilities will not maintain a fire watch unless it is determined necessary by the AHJ to be required. Authorized hot work is being conducted in the facility or on JCPS grounds. (See JCPS Hot Work Safety Program) QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Personnel assigned to conduct a fire watch, whether a JCPS employee or outside contractor, shall meet the following minimum requirements: Must be 18 or older. Must be mentally alert. Must be able to effectively communicate in spoken English. Must be able to comprehend written English. Must be able to climb stairs that may be part of the building or area placed under the fire watch. Must be able to recognize the indicators of fire through the senses of sight, hearing and touch. Must be capable of using a two-way radio and telephone. Must be equipped with a radio and/or cellular phone that is independent from the facility s phone line that is capable of contacting the Radio Room Dispatcher and 911. Must be equipped with and carry a flashlight at all times.

4 4 COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS All fire watch personnel must have a dedicated phone line or other acceptable means of communication that is independent of the facilities phone system. When possible, fire watch personnel should have a radio that is capable of communicating with facility management or administration when the facility is occupied. FIRE WATCH PROCEDURES The following procedures will be implemented each time a fire watch is implemented at any JCPS facility. Notification Sign: If a fire watch is in affect because of an inoperable fire alarm or sprinkler system a sign will be posted at each main entrance and exit point to the facility that will notify entrants that a fire watch is in affect and that the applicable system is operable. See Appendix A. A fire watch sign is not required for hot work operations unless the fire alarm or sprinkler system is inoperable at anytime during the hot work operations. Initial Notification: Safety & Environmental Services at , JCPS Radio Room at , and the AHJ(Safety and Environmental Services will contact the AHJ) shall be notified at least 24 hours in advance of any situation where it is foreseeable, as set forth in this program, that a fire watch must be initiated. In the event of an unforeseen shutdown or disablement of the fire detection system and/or fire extinguishing system(s), Safety & Environmental Services and the JCPS Radio Room shall be notified immediately and a fire watch shall be initiated for the affected area or entire building. Tours and Inspections The following procedures shall be followed when the fire watch person is touring the facility and/or affected area: In the event of a fire the fire watch personnel shall: 1. Immediately notify facility administration and all occupants in the facility to evacuate immediately. 2. Call 911 and report the fire. 3. Call the JCPS Radio Room dispatcher at and report the fire. Do not open any door to an area that is suspected of containing a fire. This could result in injury or the spread of the fire into uninvolved areas. All pertinent information shall be recorded on the fire watch log.

5 5 Length of Tour or Inspection: One complete tour of the building or area, no longer than 45 minutes, shall be completed each hour. If the size of the building or other circumstance prevents the tour or inspection from being completed in a 45-minute period, additional fire watch personnel shall be posted. Fire watch personnel shall not leave their patrol unless properly relieved by a qualified person. All tour or inspection times shall be recorded on the fire watch log. Areas that Require Tours, Inspections, and/or Monitoring All hallways and common areas shall be patrolled. Laboratories, classrooms and offices are not required to be checked, unless specifically indicated by a representative of JCPS. Personnel assigned to a fire watch should be alert for signs of fire inside of a laboratory, classroom, or office. Signs may include: the sight or smell of smoke heat radiating from the door to a room blistering paint on the door or walls of a room "crackling" or "popping" noises originating from a room flickering or glowing light under the door Particular attention should be given to new construction or alterations that may be in progress. If the fire watch is due to a hot work permit only the affected area must be inspected. This area is to be monitored the entire time the hot work is being conducted. In addition to the JCPS fire watch procedures, all JCPS hot work procedures must be fully complied prior to, during, and after hot work activities. Initial Tour or Inspection: The first tour or inspection shall begin immediately after the fire watch is posted. A thorough inspection of the building and/or area shall be conducted. During this first inspection, the fire watch person should become familiar with the building layout and fire safety equipment. Completion of Fire Watch: When the system is restored or hot work is complete the JCPS Radio Room shall be notified.

6 6 FIRE WATCH LOG A log shall be kept by the authorized person(s) conducting the fire watch activities. The purpose of this log is to provide proof of the initiation of the fire watch at times required by this program and to ensure personal safety of fire watch personnel. 1. Fire Watch Log Requirements: The following elements shall be included and completed in the fire watch log: Printed name and contact number for all fire watch personnel. Employer or department name and supervisor contact information. Date and time the fire watch was initiated. Time each tour or inspection is started and finished. Date and time fire watch ended. TRAINING Safety and Environmental Services will conduct annual training on this program for all applicable JCPS employees. In addition, training may be scheduled on an as needed basis upon request from other department heads. Individual department Directors and Managers are responsible for ensuring that all contractors are educated and trained on the requirements of this program. REFERENCES OSHA OSHA Subpart Q NFPA 1 NFPA 101 APPENDIXES A. Fire Watch Notification Sign B. Fire Watch Decision Tree C. Fire Watch Log

7 7 APPENDIX A: FIRE WATCH NOTIFICATION SIGN FIRE WATCH FIRE ALARM SYSTEM IS INOPERABLE IN CASE OF FIRE: NOTIFY ALL PERSONS IN THE BUILDING TO EVACUATE. EVACUATE THE BUILDING. CALL AND REPORT THE FIRE. CALL THE JCPS RADIO ROOM AT 3121 AND REPORT THE FIRE.

8 APPENDIX B: 8

9 9 APPENDIX C: FIRE WATCH LOG FACILITY/ASSIGNED AREA: DATE: YOUR NAME: INITIALS: FIRE WATCH TIMES: STARTED ENDED Fire watch personnel must perform continuous tours such that each room in their assigned area is checked at not less than 1 hour intervals. The first entry in this log must be made within 30 minutes of the start of the fire watch and every hour thereafter. Times must be recorded using the 24-hour clock and initialed. Any problems found during the fire watch must be documented (along with the time found and initialed) and reported to the JCPS Radio Room at I certify (by my initials below) that I completed a tour of my entire assigned area at the following times: Time Tour Completed Initials Time Tour Completed Initials Time Tour Completed Initials Additional Comments: