Waking Watch case study
Encore Group needed continuous waking watch across Bishop’s Court, a three-block residential development in Spitalfields, after its Fire Risk Assessment identified an interim need for patrols. We have provided one fire-trained officer per shift, 24 hours a day, since December 2025, on a contract planned to run about twelve months.
Encore Group needed continuous waking watch cover across Bishop’s Court, a three-block residential development in Spitalfields. Each block rises to six floors plus a basement, and the development has a 24-hour concierge team on site.
The watch followed the building’s Fire Risk Assessment, which identified an interim need for continuous patrols under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 while permanent fire safety measures are confirmed.
We have provided one fire-trained waking watch officer per shift, 24 hours a day across all three blocks, since 12 December 2025, working alongside the development’s concierge team.
Officer numbers were set by the site’s Fire Risk Assessment rather than a fixed ratio, following National Fire Chiefs Council guidance that waking watch staffing is judged building by building.
Officers are trained in fire awareness and evacuation procedures, uniformed and identifiable on site, and carry two-way radios linking them to each other, the concierge team and the fire and rescue service.
The watch has run continuously since December 2025, on a contract planned to last around twelve months.
The Fire Risk Assessment is kept under regular review as the building’s permanent fire safety measures progress, in line with NFCC guidance that a waking watch stays a short-term measure under active review rather than a standing arrangement.
Ashridge Group have delivered waking watch across a number of our sites and the service has been exceptional throughout. They understand the requirements fully, attending site to carry out detailed assessments before producing thorough method statements and complete patrol plans, all of which were created quickly and implemented without fuss. The result has been the right number of staff to deliver the patrols properly, personnel of a consistently high calibre, and record keeping of a very good standard. They have demonstrated excellent value for money alongside a safe, knowledgeable and highly professional service, and I would happily recommend them to others.
Continuously since 12 December 2025, alongside the development’s 24-hour concierge team. The contract is planned at roughly twelve months while permanent fire safety measures progress. The Fire Risk Assessment is kept under regular review throughout, in line with NFCC guidance that a waking watch should remain a short-term measure under active review rather than an indefinite arrangement.
One officer per shift, 24 hours a day, across all three blocks. That figure came from the site’s Fire Risk Assessment rather than a fixed ratio — NFCC Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance requires the number to be assessed building by building. The existing concierge presence was part of that assessment rather than being ignored by it.
The two roles are different and the distinction matters. Concierge staff handle access, deliveries and residents. Our officers patrol for fire risk, on a set route and a set frequency, and are trained to initiate evacuation. Officers carry two-way radios to stay in contact with each other, the concierge desk and the fire and rescue service.
Reviewed by Emma Walker, Group Managing Director. Published · updated .
Ashridge Group is SIA ACS approved and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 accreditation. See all our accreditations
The service
This engagement was delivered by our waking watch team. Read how the service works, what it covers and how it is staffed on our waking watch and fire safety services page.
The area
We work across London and the surrounding region. See the sites, sectors and services we cover in London.
Further reading
Working out whether this fits your own site? Our guide to what a waking watch costs, and what the alternative costs covers the numbers and the standards in more detail.
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