Fire Watch is defined as the assignment of a person or persons to an area for the express purpose of

• A. 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.
• B. A routine inspection of all exits every hour.
• C. A plan to evacuate staff.
• D. A system for testing alarms weekly.

Answer: (A)

Fire Watch is a temporary assignment of personnel to monitor a space so there is immediate detection and response to a fire. The key purpose is to ensure that emergencies are quickly reported and that actions are taken to prevent a fire from starting or spreading, including notifying the fire department or building occupants and, if needed, extinguishing small fires to protect life safety. This reflects the protective role of a Fire Watch when normal fire protection systems are unavailable or during activities that could compromise safety. The other options describe routine exits inspections, evacuation planning, or alarm testing—functions that aren’t the purpose of a Fire Watch.