7 minute read
Do I Need a Waking Watch?
You only need a waking watch if your fire risk assessment finds that a stay put strategy is no longer safe and your building doesn’t yet have a working common fire alarm. Even then, it should be a short-term measure while a fire alarm is installed or remediation work is completed.
Typical 2026 rate per waking watch officer
Cover until remediation steps are set.
The IMAF cover alarm costs.
Need a waking watch at short notice? We cover the whole UK.
For property managers, building owners and landlords being told your residential building may need a waking watch can raise a lot of questions. How urgent is it? How long will it last? And who pays for it?
A waking watch is a team of trained fire marshals who patrol a building to spot signs of fire and raise the alarm, so residents can evacuate safely. It is usually put in place when fire safety defects, often in external walls or compartmentation, mean a building’s stay put strategy can no longer be relied upon.
Whether your building needs one comes down to a few key factors, from what your fire risk assessment has found to the condition of your fire alarm system. Understanding these, along with how long a waking watch should be in place and what funding is available to move away from it, will help you make the right decision for your residents and your building.
What Is a Waking Watch For?
Most purpose-built blocks of flats are designed around a stay put strategy. If a fire starts in one flat, the building’s construction should contain it long enough for other residents to stay safely in their homes unless they are directly affected.
When defects undermine that protection, the strategy may need to change temporarily to simultaneous evacuation, where everyone leaves the building at once. For that to work, residents need early warning of a fire. A waking watch provides that warning through regular patrols until a more permanent solution, usually a common fire alarm, is in place. You can read more in our guide, What is a Waking Watch?
In this way, a waking watch works as an interim measure. It provides a short-term safety net, keeping residents protected and the building compliant while longer-term fixes, such as installing a common fire alarm system or removing unsafe cladding, are organised and carried out. Rather than being the end goal, it gives building owners the time they need to establish the next steps towards remediation.
Signs Your Building Might Need a Waking Watch
Your building may need a waking watch if one or more of the following applies:
- Your fire risk assessment has identified serious defects, such as combustible cladding or external wall issues, that mean stay put can no longer be relied upon.
- Fire doors or compartmentation have failed. Damaged, missing or non-compliant fire doors, or gaps in fire-stopping, mean fire and smoke could spread beyond the flat where it starts.
- The evacuation strategy has changed from stay put to simultaneous evacuation.
- The alarm system is inadequate. There is no common fire alarm, or the current one is broken, under maintenance or unable to alert everyone in the building.
- Remediation is pending or underway. Defects have been identified but repairs have not yet been scheduled or funded, or works such as cladding removal have temporarily reduced the building’s fire protection.
When you Probably Don’t Need a Waking Watch
A waking watch is not a default response to every fire safety concern. Industry guidance is clear that on-site staffing should only be used where it is proportionate to the risk. You are unlikely to need one if:
- A common fire alarm is already installed, working and supports your evacuation strategy.
- The defects identified do not affect the building’s ability to support stay put.
- Your fire risk assessor has concluded that other measures, such as removing ignition sources or improving fire doors, are enough to manage the risk.
Who Decides Whether a Waking Watch is Needed?
The decision sits with the building’re Responsible Person, usually the freeholder, managing agent, or landlord. It should be based on the findings of a competent fire risk assessment and follow the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance.
The guidance asks Responsible Persons to fully understand the decision-making process before changing a building’s evacuation strategy, to engage with residents throughout, and to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to on-site staffing. Your local fire and rescue service can also advise, and may require action if it believes residents are at risk.
How Long Should a Waking Watch Last?
A waking watch is designed to be temporary. Under the NFCC guidance, where a waking watch is put in place, the Responsible Person should plan a sustainable alternative as soon as practicable and within a month.
In most buildings, that alternative is a common fire alarm system that alerts all residents at once. Once the alarm is installed, commissioned and reflected in an updated fire risk assessment, the waking watch can usually be stood down. Patrols should then only remain where the fire risk assessment says they are still needed.
What is a common fire alarm system?
Most blocks of flats designed for stay put don’t have a building-wide alarm. Each flat usually has its own smoke alarms, which only sound inside that flat. The idea is that a fire is contained where it starts, so only the people directly affected need to leave while everyone else stays safely in their homes.
A common fire alarm system works differently. Detectors in the flats and communal areas are linked together, so when a fire is detected, sounders go off throughout the entire building at the same time. This gives every resident the early warning they need to evacuate together, which is what a simultaneous evacuation strategy relies on.
In effect, a common fire alarm does automatically what a waking watch does manually. Rather than relying on patrols to spot a fire and raise the alarm, the system detects it and alerts everyone instantly, 24 hours a day.
Waking Watch Vs Common Fire Alarm
| Waking watch | Common fire alarm | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Trained staff patrol the building and raise the alarm | Detectors and sounders alert every resident automatically |
| Cost | Ongoing cost for every hour of cover | One-off installation cost, plus servicing |
| How quickly it can start | Often within hours | Usually needs design, installation and commissioning |
| Best suited to | Immediate, short-term cover | Longer-term interim protection until remediation |
| Funding available | Not covered by government funding | Installation can be covered by the IMAF |
For many buildings, the most cost-effective approach is to use a waking watch only until a common fire alarm system is in place. The alarm then takes over the job of alerting every resident during a simultaneous evacuation, and stays in place until all remediation work is complete and the building can safely return to a stay put strategy. Over months or years, this usually costs far less than continuous patrols.
Funding in 2026: The Interim Measures Alarm Fund
The government funding for waking watches changed this year. The Waking Watch Replacement Fund closed on 31st March 2026 and was replaced on 1st April 2026 by the Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF), a £62 million fund delivered by Homes England through the Cladding Safety Scheme.
The IMAF pays the capital costs of installing a common fire alarm system in residential buildings that currently rely on a waking watch. It does not pay for the waking watch itself. Te aim is to replace waking watches with a more sustainable interim measure while buildings wait for remediation.
What a Compliant Waking Watch Looks Like
If your building does need a waking watch, it is important that it is set up properly. The NFCC guidance sets out what you should consider when considering one. A good waking watch should include:
- Competent, trained staff with training specific to your building, its layout and its evacuation strategy.
- Enough staff to patrol the whole building at the frequency set out in your fire risk assessment.
- Clear patrol records, so you have evidence that patrols took place and what was found.
- A clear process for raising the alarm and supporting the evacuation of residents, including those who may need extra help.
- A plan for transition, with the waking watch stood down as soon as a suitable alarm system is in place.
How Can Prime Help
At Prime, we support property managers, landlords and building owners through every stage of the process. We can:
- Deploy a waking watch at short notice nationwide
- Carry out a fire risk assessment to confirm what your building needs
- Design, install and maintain a fire alarm system to replace the waking watch
- Plan a smooth handover from patrols to alarm, so your building is never left without protection
If you’re unsure whether your building needs a waking watch, or you’re looking to replace one with a fire alarm, get in touch with the team today.
