Fire Watch Services in Washington DC

DC Fire Watch Has Stricter Rules — We Know How to Navigate Them

Many clients assume Washington DC follows the same fire watch rules as Maryland or Virginia—but that is not the case. DC has stricter fire code requirements, and violating them—knowingly or not—can lead to serious consequences, including possible fines.
 
Here is what makes fire watch in Washington DC unique:

• A fire watch plan must be submitted to DC Fire & EMS
• Only licensed agencies can provide fire watch
• Fire watch cannot end until the fire marshal approves it.
• The fire marshal uses a formula to determine how many fire watch is needed.

DC Minimum Fire watch Staffing Requirements

• One fire watch officer for every two floors.
• One fire watch officer stationed at the main front desk, fire alarm control panel, or another centralized location equipped with a hard-wired phone.
• One additional officer for every six fire watch personnel to provide coverage during rotations and breaks.
• A minimum of two fire watch personnel must be on duty at all times.

Patrols During Occupied Hours

Fire watch patrols are required whenever the building is occupied. This includes regular business hours, after-hours operations, and any time employees, residents, or cleaning crews are present.
Residential buildings are considered occupied 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Washington DC Fire Watch Patrol Intervals

Trained fire watch personnel must maintain continuous observation of the areas affected by the impaired fire alarm system.   In practical terms, most fire watch security companies patrol every every 60 minutes.  Personnel remain in or near their assigned affected areas between patrols.  Top-performing fire watch providers, such as ours, conduct patrols every 30 minutes to ensure maximum safety and compliance.

In washington dc You must submit a fire watch plan

The District of Columbia requires a fire watch plan be submitted whenever a building is on fire watch.  This requirement applies to every occupied building regardless of whether the fire watch was voluntarily implemented or ordered by District of Columbia Fire Inspector.   The fire watch plan along with a copy of the contract with the company providing the fire watch must be submitted as soon as possible.

Submitting the Fire Watch Plan and Service Agreement

Email your fire watch plan along with a signed service agreement from the licensed security agency providing the fire watch for your buildlng.
📧 fems.fireprevention@dc.gov

Confirming Receipt

After sending your documents, contact the DC Fire Marshal’s Office at 202-727-1614 to confirm that your fire watch plan has been received.

Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:15 AM to 4:45 PM

After-Hours Contact

If you are submitting your plan outside regular business hours, reach out to the DC Fire and EMS Department Fire Liaison Officer at:
📞 202-373-3712

If you want the full breakdown of DC’s fire watch requirements we made a guide just for you. Read our DMV Fire Watch Guide

One Hourly Rate. No Extra Charges.

You pay one flat hourly for everything. There is no extra fee for our services. The security company pays us a small share of their hourly rate to handle management and quality assurance. As a result, You pay the same rate you would if you hired the security company without our services.
 
You get reliable service and reasonable pricing—with no surprises.