Fire Watch Protocol

Following is an example of a fire watch protocol that is followed at the Naval Dockyard, Esquimalt. Other yards may have slightly different procedures, but all are intended to ensure maximum safety when hot work is taking place.

Department of National Defense (DND) Example of Fire Watch Protocol

When any kind of hot work or spark making activity is performed onboard DND vessels, specific steps are taken to ensure the safety of the workers, the ship's crew, and the vessel itself.

The photograph to the left shows and example of hot work. Here a worker up on a temporary platform removes lifting lugs using a high pressure gouging machine.

The area outside the vessel is monitored and fire extinguishers are in place, but inside the vessel a firewatch person will be assigned to stay onsite until after the work has been completed.

As a first step the shop supervisor performing the work contacts the ship's representative to let them know when and where the work will take place. This means that the ship's staff will not be working in the area where the hot work is taking place, and will be reassigned to other duties.

Safe to Work Chit

The shop supervisor will also contact the safety department and request a gas-free certificate and the posting of a "safe to work" chit. The chit confirms that no explosives gases are present in the work area at the time the chit was posted. What this means is that the area has been checked for hazards such as fumes generated by painting, open fuel tanks, or incorrect positioning of ventilating fans.

The picture to the left shows an open lid on a fuel tank. Workers will be required to access these types of areas and then steam clean them, sandblast or grind the cracked areas prior to welding. 

The chit will be valid as long as continual shifts of workers are performing the same type of work under the same circumstances. In other words, if potentially high-risk work like painting or fuel tank checks begin, the chit will be taken down and not reposted until another physical check has been completed by the safety department. The chit can be revoked at any time someone determines that there is a risk of fire or explosion.

The chit will be re-issued the following morning (or next available shift) if more than one work shift has lapsed. During re-issue, the safety representative will ensure the area is again gas-free and that there are no combustibles present. If anything is found to render the space unsafe, it must be rectified before the chit is issued, and before work can continue.

All hot work requiring a safe to work chit (welding, burning, cutting, grinding) that is performed onboard ships and vessels requires a fire-watch attendant to be onsite. The firewatch personnel must be trained in fire prevention and the proper use of extinguishers.

Although this work is being done off the ship, a firewatch person is required to ensure the safety of the welder or burner who is doing the work: (the metal being removed is in a molten state and can start fires or even burn through the heavy leather welding jacket of the person doing the burning). Firewatch personnel are also responsible for alerting other workers to the possible dangers by ensuring signs, barrier tape or welding curtains are in place as required.

If multiple workers are performing hot work activities, there may be a need for more than one firewatch. If the hot work can affect an adjacent space, tank or compartment, it is necessary to have firewatch personnel in attendance in those areas at the same time the work is being done. Radios can be used to facilitate communication.

Firewatch Personnel

Firewatch personnel can be from a specific shop or area within the shipyard, or brought in under contract. In some cases such as performing a quick brazing operation in an open space out on deck, a fellow tradesperson trained on the appropriate procedures may provide firewatch oversight.

Firewatch duties include watching for fires in the immediate area, ensuring the safety of those performing the task, being aware of other activities taking place, and alerting personnel who may come into the area that there are potential dangers.