Yard helpers and trainee welders
Junior staff may be assigned as the watch while a welder works, so training matters.
Course snapshot
CourseFire Watch Training
Duration1 Day
Duration1 day
CertificateiMost (not OPITO)
FeeAsk our team for the current fee
AssessmentWritten, demonstration, oral
Mumbai to KochiAbout 2 h by air
Where Mumbai's hot work happens
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders has its main yard on Dockyard Road in Mumbai and builds warships and submarines. It also received approval for a floating dry dock with a launching facility at Nhava on the Navi Mumbai side of the harbour, so work is spread across more than one site. Ship work means cutting, welding and grinding close to coatings, insulation, cabling and fuel systems, which is where a watch is needed. A SOLAS-based hot work rule used by ship managers defines hot work as any arc or gas welding, cutting burner or other naked flame, and any heating or spark-generating tool, anywhere on board.
At the refineries on Mumbai's eastern seafront, the load comes from turnarounds. BPCL's Mumbai refinery processes about 12 million tonnes of crude a year and HPCL's about 9.5 million, and both have added new hydrotreating and treatment units. When a unit is shut for maintenance, hot work permits multiply across lines, vessels and structures that have just come out of hydrocarbon service. The permit sets what each watch must do.
Offshore maintenance is the third setting. ONGC has revamped platforms in the Neelam and Heera area and planned revamp work on the Bassein processing complexes BPA and BPB, and contractors sent to such jobs work on live or recently shut-in facilities. A fire watch on a platform has to be someone who is allowed to be there, so people in this role normally need an offshore induction as well as the watch certificate.
Mazagon Dock, Dockyard Road
Main yard of the defence shipbuilder, with a second site planned at Nhava for a floating dry dock and launching facility.
Mahul refinery turnarounds
BPCL and HPCL both operate refineries on the eastern seafront; shutdowns generate dense hot work.
Neelam and Heera platform revamps
Offshore maintenance contracts that put hot work on platforms in the western offshore.
Bassein complexes BPA and BPB
Process complexes where revamp work has been planned and where gas contains H2S.
Who is selected as a fire watch in Mumbai
Contractor fire watchers at refinery shutdowns
Turnaround contractors supply a watch for each hot work permit in the work area.
Platform maintenance technicians
On a platform the watch may be a member of the maintenance crew rather than a separate specialist.
Safety supervisors and permit receivers
People who assign and brief the watch need to know what the role involves.
Fire watch, firefighting, fire warden or permit training
Fire watch is the narrowest of the four. It trains one role on one task: watching a hot work area for fire, stopping a small fire and raising the alarm. Basic firefighting is wider and covers extinguisher use for general staff. Fire warden training prepares people for evacuation duties in a building. Permit to work is for those who issue, check and close permits. Many contractors pair fire watch with permit to work, so the watch understands what the permit says. For platform work, add an offshore induction. The permit and the client's procedure decide who may act as a fire watch and for how long, so ask your supervisor.
Basic Fire Fighting Training →
You need extinguisher and fire-ground skills for general staff rather than the watch role.
Fire Warden Training →
Your task is evacuation and headcounts in a building or office.
Permit to Work PTW System Training →
You issue, receive or close the hot work permits that call for the watch.
Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) →
The job is on an offshore platform in warm water and you need the induction to go there.
The one-day programme applied to Mumbai hot work
The course is interactive classroom teaching with practical demonstrations, case studies and scenario exercises. Assessment combines a written test, a demonstration and oral questioning, and successful delegates receive an iMost certificate. It is not an OPITO course.
- 01
Introduction to the fire watch role
Responsibilities and why a dedicated watch matters, for example beside a welder in a hull compartment or at a refinery flange.
- 02
Fire science and firefighting tactics
The fire triangle, types of fires and extinguishing methods, applied to coatings, oils and cable insulation.
- 03
Fire prevention and risk assessment
Hazard identification around the work area and carrying out a fire risk assessment before sparks fly.
- 04
Fire safety equipment
Inspecting and using extinguishers, hose reels and fire blankets.
- 05
Emergency procedures
Fire emergency plans and evacuation routes, so the watch knows what to do when a small fire grows.
- 06
Legal compliance and practical training
An overview of fire safety laws, codes and standards, plus hands-on extinguisher exercises.
For Mumbai yards, turnaround contractors and platform maintenance firms
Hot work is bought in short, intense periods: a dry-docking, a refinery turnaround or an offshore campaign. Companies need several trained watchers in a short window, which suits a group booking and a one-day course.
Standards that shape training in Maharashtra
SOLAS-based hot work rules for shipsShip managers define hot work broadly and require guidance in the safety management system; absence of guidance is treated as a prohibition, not approval.
US OSHA shipyard guidance as a benchmarkSays a fire watch must not be assigned other duties while hot work is in progress. Indian sites follow their own procedures; it is quoted only as a widely used benchmark.
Site permit to workThe permit decides who may serve as a watch, what equipment they carry and how long they stay after the work; watch durations differ between sources, so follow the permit.
What employers commonly ask for
| Course | Requirement note |
|---|---|
| Fire Watch Training | Commonly requested for staff assigned as the watch on hot work permits; confirm your client's rule. |
| Permit to Work PTW System Training | Often paired with fire watch for supervisors and permit receivers. |
| Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) | For watches assigned to warm-water platform maintenance campaigns. |
Planning a group booking
- Contractors can register at portal.imostacademy.in/register for team logins, rate-card pricing, group bookings, statements and certificate tracking.
- Invoices to Indian entities include GST; credit terms follow an assessment.
- Ask our team for the current fee and the validity period shown on the certificate when you request a quote.
- Plan the group for the weeks before a shutdown or dry-docking.
Operators and clients set their own requirements; confirm with your contract or HSE department.
From Mumbai for a one-day course
Njarakkal, on Vypin island, is where the course runs. The flight from Mumbai takes about two hours.
Land the evening before
A one-day course starts at a fixed time. An evening arrival and a flight home after the course gives you a one-night stay.
Airport to Njarakkal
Cochin International Airport is some 40 km away by road, and Ernakulam Junction about 15 km via the Goshree bridges.
Planning a one-day trip
- 1
Ask what your site requires
Check the permit or contractor rules for who qualifies as a fire watch and whether a certificate is demanded.
- 2
Request the fee and dates
Message our team on WhatsApp at +91 8075 787307 or at info@imostacademy.in for the current fee, batch dates and certificate validity.
- 3
Travel the evening before
Fly to Kochi, stay near the campus and report on the morning of the course.
- 4
Sit the course and the assessment
Classroom teaching, practical demonstrations, then the written test, demonstration and oral questions.
- 5
Hand over the certificate
Give a copy to your supervisor or client before the job starts and note any refresher interval your site sets.