What fire wardens do in high-rise buildings, what residents are expected to do during an alarm, and how building fire safety systems work together during an emergency.
Effective high-rise fire safety is a system that depends on coordinated action from multiple people. Fire wardens (also called fire marshals) play a specific role in that system. Residents who understand what fire wardens do — and what is expected of them — are better prepared to respond correctly and can support rather than impede a fire response.
A fire warden is a designated person responsible for a section of a building during a fire alarm activation. In residential high-rise buildings, fire wardens are typically:
Fire wardens in residential buildings are not required to fight fires — their role is communication, coordination, and ensuring vulnerable residents are accounted for.
| Duty | When | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm response | Immediately on activation | Identify the source floor from the fire control panel |
| Floor investigation | On activation | Check if the alarm is genuine; identify which flat the alarm is from |
| Resident communication | On activation | Advise residents of the correct response (stay put or evacuate) |
| Vulnerable resident assistance | On activation | Check on residents flagged as needing assistance; direct to refuge areas |
| Stairwell monitoring | During evacuation | Ensure stairwells are clear and occupied in the correct direction |
| Fire brigade liaison | On arrival | Brief arriving fire crews on the situation, floor affected, and any missing persons |
| Roll call at assembly point | After evacuation | Account for all residents |
| Re-entry control | After incident | Prevent re-entry until cleared by fire service |
For residents who cannot self-evacuate (wheelchair users, residents with mobility impairment, visual impairment, or cognitive disabilities), a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan should be in place:
The resident's response depends on the building's fire strategy:
| Building Type | Strategy | Resident Action |
|---|---|---|
| High-rise with compartmentation | Stay put (unless fire in your flat) | Remain in flat; close doors; call 999 if smoke present |
| Building with ongoing cladding risk | Simultaneous evacuation | Evacuate via stairwell immediately |
| Building with waking watch | Mixed | Follow instruction from warden / waking watch operative |
If you do not know which strategy applies to your building, this is information worth finding out now — not during an alarm.
Residents sometimes impede fire safety activities. Common problems:
| Resident Action | Problem | Correct Action |
|---|---|---|
| Propping fire doors open | Destroys compartmentation | Never prop fire doors |
| Ignoring alarm and remaining in bed | Creates unaccounted-for resident | Respond to every alarm unless advised otherwise |
| Using lift during evacuation | Creates entrapment risk | Always use stairwell |
| Arguing with warden during activation | Delays coordinated response | Follow warden instructions immediately; dispute later |
| Leaving the building without checking in at assembly point | Warden cannot account for you | Always report to assembly point |
Residents benefit from understanding the systems in their building:
| System | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Flat detection only | Alarm in your flat only; no common alarm until fire spreads |
| Common alarm (phased) | Alarm on fire floor plus floors immediately above and below; rest of building on standby |
| Common alarm (simultaneous) | All flats alarm at once |
| Waking watch | A fire warden physically patrols the building 24/7 as backup for a faulty alarm system |
The type of alarm system affects whether your alarm sounding means the fire is on your floor or elsewhere in the building. In a phased alarm system, your alarm sounding first means the fire is on your floor or adjacent; in a simultaneous system, the fire may be anywhere.
Modern high-rise residential buildings increasingly have sprinkler systems. Key facts:
Every flat entrance door in a properly managed high-rise should be a fire door (FD30 or FD60 rating — 30 or 60 minutes fire resistance):
| Topic | Key Point |
|---|---|
| Fire warden role | Communication, coordination, accounting for vulnerable residents |
| Your building's strategy | Know if it is stay put or evacuate — find out before an alarm |
| Alarm sounds | Follow the strategy for your building |
| Fire doors | Never prop; report damage immediately |
| Vulnerable residents | Inform management; PEEP should be in place |
| Assembly point | Always report to it; warden needs to account for you |
| Warden instructions | Follow immediately; no arguments during an active alarm |
| Sprinklers | Do not cover or tamper; they activate locally only |
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