Waking Watch case study
When faults developed in the fire alarm system at Burlington Gate in Walsall, Encore Group needed interim fire cover while they were put right. We provided one fire-trained waking watch officer on site 24 hours a day for ten days, standing down on 26 June 2026 once the system was working again.
Encore Group needed waking watch cover at Burlington Gate, a residential complex in Walsall, while faults in the building’s fire alarm system were put right.
Where a building’s automatic fire detection is not fully working, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to put interim measures in place. Waking watch was agreed as that measure.
We provided one fire-trained waking watch officer on site 24 hours a day for the full ten days, giving the building continuous cover from the moment the alarm system was compromised until the fault was fixed.
The officer was trained in fire awareness and evacuation procedures, uniformed and identifiable, and in direct contact with the building’s management team and, where needed, the fire and rescue service.
The watch stood down on 26 June 2026, once the fire alarm fault was confirmed resolved and the system was back in normal operation.
Short deployments like this are what waking watch is designed for. NFCC guidance is that cover should end as soon as the permanent fire safety measure is working again, and ours did.
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 Birmingham and the surrounding region. See the sites, sectors and services we cover in Birmingham.
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