Here’s Why Construction Managers Choose USPA
If your welding, cutting, grinding, torch work, or other hot work is ready to begin, you need a fire watch company that understands construction, moves quickly, and knows exactly what the assignment requires.
USPA Nationwide Security has been protecting jobsites for more than 21 years. We are an A+ Rated, Veteran Owned and Operated, Licensed and Insured company with nationwide reach and 24/7 dispatch.Our Hot Work Fire Watch personnel are assigned for one reason: watch the fire risk. They monitor sparks, slag, heat transfer, surrounding materials, adjacent spaces, and the required post-work period while your trades stay focused on the job.
Call: (800) 214-1448
Hot Work Fire Watch for Construction Sites
When welding, cutting, grinding, brazing, torch work, or another spark-producing operation is scheduled, the fire watch cannot be treated as an afterthought.
USPA Nationwide Security provides dedicated Hot Work Fire Watch personnel for active construction sites, renovations, industrial projects, mechanical work, structural steel, and occupied buildings under construction. Our personnel monitor the work area, surrounding exposures, adjacent spaces, and the required post-work period so your trades can work while a qualified person remains focused on fire prevention.
We work directly with construction managers, superintendents, safety directors, general contractors, mechanical contractors, and subcontractors. Whether your project requires one fire watch for a scheduled weld or several personnel covering simultaneous hot work areas, our team can build the assignment around your schedule.
Need Hot Work Fire Watch coverage now? Call USPA 24/7 at (800) 214-1448.
A Fire Watch Built for the Jobsite
A body in a vest is not a Hot Work Fire Watch program.
The person assigned to the fire watch must understand the work being performed, the path sparks may travel, the materials that may ignite, the location of extinguishing equipment, and the procedure for stopping work or raising an alarm.
That responsibility becomes especially important on active construction sites. Sparks can fall through floor openings, enter wall cavities, travel behind temporary protection, reach stored materials, or ignite debris outside the welder’s immediate field of view. Heat can also transfer through walls, floors, ceilings, pipes, and structural members.
OSHA construction standard 29 CFR 1926.352 requires suitable fire-extinguishing equipment to be immediately available. When ordinary fire-prevention precautions are insufficient, additional personnel must be assigned to guard against fire during the work and for a sufficient period afterward. OSHA also requires precautions on the opposite side of walls, floors, and ceilings when sparks or heat transfer may create a hazard in an adjacent area.
Our fire watch personnel are assigned to watch the risk. They are not there to move material, assist the welder, perform cleanup, direct traffic, or fill another labor position while hot work is underway.
The welder performs the work.
The fire watch watches the fire risk.
Hot Work Fire Watch Led by a National Fire Safety Expert
USPA’s Hot Work Fire Watch operations are overseen by Brian Fitzgibbons, Director of Operations and a nationally recognized fire safety expert with extensive experience managing fire watch assignments across the United States. His work includes emergency response, construction fire watch, hot work coverage, long-term system impairments, and regulatory compliance. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Fitzgibbons brings military discipline, field leadership, and a hands-on approach to every assignment. He also conducts fire safety and code-compliance seminars for property managers and has been featured as an expert on national media, including Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. For construction managers, that means your Hot Work Fire Watch program is backed by leadership that understands welding, cutting, grinding, jobsite risk, NFPA requirements, OSHA expectations, documentation, and real-world construction schedules.
Hot Work We Commonly Cover
Hot work includes more than traditional welding. NFPA 51B addresses welding, cutting, grinding, heat treatment, and similar operations that produce or use sparks, flame, or sufficient heat to ignite combustible materials. The current edition of NFPA 51B is the 2024 edition.
USPA provides Hot Work Fire Watch coverage for:
– Structural steel welding and cutting
– Grinding and spark-producing metalwork
– Brazing and soldering
– Torch-applied roofing work
– Mechanical and piping installations
– HVAC and ductwork modifications
– Demolition and renovation work
– Welding near combustible construction materials
– Hot work inside occupied commercial properties
– Work near wall cavities, shafts, ceilings, and concealed spaces
– Projects where the fire marshal, general contractor, insurer, or site safety plan requires a dedicated fire watch
The exact scope should follow the Hot Work permit, the site safety plan, the authority having jurisdiction, and the conditions present at the work area.
Before the First Spark
Our personnel check in with the designated site representative and confirm the assigned Hot Work area, scheduled work period, communication method, emergency procedure, and required monitoring period.
Before work begins, the fire watch reviews the immediate area and surrounding exposures. This may include combustible materials, temporary walls, floor openings, penetrations, ceiling spaces, stored products, insulation, roofing materials, debris, fuel sources, and the opposite side of the surface being worked on.
The fire watch also confirms that the required extinguishing equipment is accessible and ready for use. Any condition outside the agreed scope is reported to the superintendent, safety manager, or permit-authorizing individual before work proceeds.
During the Hot Work
Once the operation begins, the fire watch maintains direct attention on the work and the areas where heat, slag, sparks, or hot material may travel.
The officer maintains communication with the crew and site contact, watches for smoke, flame, unusual odors, heat transfer, and changing site conditions, and remains prepared to raise the alarm or stop the operation when an unsafe condition develops.
Where the fire watch cannot clearly observe every exposure point, additional coverage may be needed. A single person may not be able to cover multiple floors, separate rooms, both sides of a wall, or several simultaneous Hot Work operations.
We would rather scope the assignment correctly than place one person where several distinct hazard areas cannot be watched effectively.
Hot Work Fire Watch for Construction Sites
Open 24 Hours
Nationwide Deployment
Call (800) 214-1448