PETALING JAYA, May 30 — Some 4,000 buildings nationwide are unfit for occupancy due to the elevated risk of conflagration, according to the Fire and Rescue Department.
In an interview with New Straits Times published today, department deputy director-general (operations) Datuk Soiman Jahid also disclosed that the “high-risk buildings” include government and private hospitals, hotels, factories and office blocks.
“We have a category for buildings which are considered ‘high risk’ due to certain factors ... we label them as ‘designated premises’. Buildings under this category, which include hospitals and offices, must comply with certain requirements before they can be issued with the FC (fire certification).
“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,” said Soiman.
Soiman explained that high-risk building operators must apply for the department’s FC after being issued with the Certificate of Completion and Compliance, Certification of Fitness (CF) or Temporary CF by the local authorities.
The Fire and Rescue Department conducts annual checks for high-risk buildings, he added, to ensure that building owners comply with fire safety standards.
“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,” he said.
However, Soiman added that the large number of high-risk buildings is also attributed to many building owners renovating their premises without the department’s approval.
“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,’’ he said.
Soiman also said that fire safety standards would be redundant if a building is used for other purposes.
“An example is when the owner of an office building turns his property into a hostel.
“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,” said Soiman.
“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,’’ he added.
