KUALA LUMPUR: THOUSANDS of buildings, many housing no fewer than 1,000 people at any one time, may be unfit for occupation.
The bigger shock is that many of these premises, which are considered by the authorities as “disasters just waiting to happen”, include government and private hospitals, hotels, factories and office blocks.
The Fire and Rescue Department, in an alarming revelation to the New Straits Times, said about half of the 8,638 buildings nationwide listed under its “high-risk” category had failed to meet fire safety standards.
Buildings of this category must apply for the department’s Fire Certification (FC) after being issued with the Certificate of Completion and Compliance, Certification of Fitness (CF) or Temporary CF by the local authorities.
Under existing laws, buildings can only be issued with the FC and declared safe once they meet the requirements laid out by the Fire and Rescue Department, and are free from fire hazards.
Others in the department’s list of buildings that are susceptible to “potential disaster” include dormitories, libraries, shops, public halls, schools, nursery homes and apartments.
The NST learned that in just the past two months, 365 building owners have been slapped with 1,495 notices for violating various fire safety requirements.
Department deputy director-general (operations) Datuk Soiman Jahid, in an exclusive interview with the NST, said many of these buildings simply could not be issued with the FC because they did not meet the fire safety requirements.
“We have a category for buildings which are considered ‘high risk’ due to certain factors… we label them as ‘designated premises’. This category, which includes hospitals and offices, must comply with certain requirements before they can be issued with the FC.
“Apart from having a functioning and robust fire-suppression system, these buildings must also have their own fire safety management teams.
“However, many of them have either failed inspections, or are still in the process of trying to meet the requirements.”
Soiman said his men would conduct annual checks at all premises under this category to ensure that they complied with fire safety requirements at all times.
“Our focus is not to punish the owners. We want to make sure that every building is safe.
“The checklist for them to comply is long, so we will give ample time. But if it involves a critical structure, or if serious issues are found, then we will insist that action be taken promptly.”
He said the department was monitoring around 4,000 buildings to make sure that the owners obtain the FC certification.
It is understood that many of these premises need major renovations before they can even begin to apply for FCs.
“There have been cases where we prosecuted owners of these premises because they failed to comply with our requirements. (Building) Owners could be fined or jailed, or we will issue an order for the building to be vacated,” Soiman added.
He said the department had also served notices to many building owners because of poorly-maintained fire equipment.
Many more buildings were found to be without any fire-suppression and fire-fighting equipment.
The department also had issues with owners who carried out illegal renovations that blocked fire escape routes.
But, how is it that these premises are allowed to operate in the first place?
Soiman said many building owners had circumvented his department’s requirements by submitting the original floor-plans for FC approval.
Once the original plans have been approved, they will carry out massive renovations later on.
“During the application process (for FCs), they will make sure that their premises meet all our requirements. After that, they will start renovating and ignore the fire safety requirements.”
Fire safety violations also happen when the building is used for other purposes.
“An example is when the owner of an office building turns his property into a hostel,” said Soiman.
“It will be difficult for them to meet the fire safety requirements of a hostel. This is because to meet the requirements, they have to incur additional costs.”
Building owners who carry out illegal renovations that violate the department’s regulations, or who fail to adhere to the notices issued, can face imprisonment.
“They need to follow the requirements as this is about people’s safety in the building, which is non-negotiable. We cannot compromise on this as lives are at stake. This is something that we monitor closely to ensure the safety of the public.”
Soiman said the department had drawn up its fire safety requirements based on its years of experience in dealing with various types of premises.
“For instance, if a fire breaks out at a hospital, where do we put the patients we rescue, or the medical equipment we save?
“Therefore, for hospitals, it is a requirement for the management to prepare an area big enough to safely put patients and equipment while we fight the fire,” he said.