KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Institute of Architects (Pam) has offered to work with local authorities and the Fire and Rescue Department to enhance the safety aspects of buildings and educate the public on fire safety.
Commenting on the tahfiz fire tragedy which killed 23 people here yesterday, Pam president Ezumi Harzani Ismail said local authorities should assist building owners and operators to improve building safety.
“It is important for building owner or operators to engage professional architects and engineers to design (buildings which are) in compliance with safety requirements set under the laws. The purpose of these laws is to ensure that all buildings are designed and constructed properly and are safe for occupation,” he said.
Ezumi said in the case of schools, in particular, boarding schools, stringent requirements for emergency egress should apply under the seventh schedule in the Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL).
“Dead ends are not permitted, so there must be a minimum of two exit doors from any room with occupancy of more than six persons,” he said.
Ezumi added that each building under this category must be equipped with two or more staircases.
“Besides these passive safety designs, there are many other fire safety requirements that need to be fulfilled to ensure the safety of a building and its occupants, such as an illuminated emergency exit sign, a heat detection system, a smoke detection system, a fire alarm, a fire extinguisher, a hose reel and emergency lighting.
“While there is demand to have more religious schools and hostel buildings, the operators of the schools should not compromise on safety standards.
“As architects, it is always a special concern to us when lives are lost through building failures like this,” Ezumi said, adding that Pam, as the national institute of architects, will continue efforts to improve fire safety awareness among professional and members of public.