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PPO License #122869|Serving Los Angeles County
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Serving Los Angeles

Fire Watch in Los Angeles

Licensed guards who walk your Los Angeles property on a set route and log every round while the fire alarm or sprinkler system is out of service, during hot work, or after a fire.

LDG patrol vehicle parked on a residential street at dusk

When the building can’t watch itself

A fire alarm panel that fails, a sprinkler system shut down for repairs, a renovation with welding on the roof: in each case a Los Angeles building loses the system that would normally catch a fire early. Until it is back, someone has to do that job on foot. In the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Fire Department may require a fire watch while a system is impaired, and property insurers often ask for one too.

LDG provides fire watch guards in Los Angeles for property managers, owners, contractors and facilities teams. Our guards walk the building on a set route, look for smoke, heat and hazards, keep a written log of every round, and call 911 and alert occupants if they find a fire.

Common Los Angeles fire watch posts

  • Downtown towers and apartment buildings. Patrols of every floor, stairwell and garage level while an alarm panel or sprinkler riser is being repaired.
  • Warehouses and industrial buildings. Rounds through storage aisles, loading docks and mechanical rooms in the Valley and the industrial areas south and east of Downtown.
  • Hot work. A dedicated guard during welding, cutting or torch work on a roof or in a tenant space, and for the cool-down period after it ends.
  • Construction sites. Rounds of partly built structures where permanent systems are not yet live, alongside construction site security.
  • After a fire. Coverage of a damaged building while it is unoccupied and waiting for repairs.

How a round works

Before the first shift we walk the property with you and set the route: every floor, the stairwells, the electrical and mechanical rooms, and the spots where trash or materials collect. We note the alarm panel, the extinguishers, the exits and who the guard calls. On each round the guard checks for smoke, heat, odors, blocked exits and new hazards, then writes the time and what was found in the fire watch log. The log stays on site for the fire department or your insurer to review.

Planning around your timeline

A fire watch usually lasts until the system is repaired and tested. That can be one night or several weeks. We schedule guards for the hours you need covered and can add guards to a large building so each round is completed in a reasonable time. When the system is back in service, coverage can end or shift to regular unarmed security or mobile patrol visits.

Getting a fire watch scheduled

Fire watch coverage in Los Angeles can be a single shift for hot work, nights only while a building is empty, or every hour the system is out until it is repaired. Shift length is set to your needs. Pricing depends on the hours, the number of guards and how long the fire watch runs; longer agreements get lower rates, and requests made with less than 7 days’ notice carry an upcharge. Published guard ranges are on our rates page. Request a consultation, or call or text (442) 288-6642.

California requires every security guard to hold a guard card from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, and LDG works under PPO License #122869. For the service across the county, see fire watch in Los Angeles County; for every service in the area, see our Los Angeles security page.

FAQ

Fire Watch in Los Angeles: common questions

When does a Los Angeles building need a fire watch?

Usually when the fire alarm or sprinkler system is out of service, during hot work such as welding, or after a fire. The Los Angeles Fire Department or your insurer may require one; they set the conditions, and we staff the post to match.

What does a fire watch guard do on each round?

The guard walks a set route, checks for smoke, heat, odors, blocked exits and new hazards, and writes each round in the fire watch log. If there is a fire, the guard calls 911 and alerts the people in the building.

Can you start a fire watch on short notice?

Contact us as soon as you know a system is down and we will tell you what we can staff. Requests made with less than 7 days’ notice carry an upcharge.

Do your fire watch guards fight fires?

No. A fire watch guard watches, reports and alerts. Putting out fires is the fire department’s job.

Other cities

Fire Watch nearby

LDG serves clients throughout Los Angeles County. See all service areas.

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