*******************************************************
Following is the reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah on fire service installations in shopping malls and markets of public housing estates in the Legislative Council today (May 16):
Question:
Regarding the fire service installations in shopping malls and markets of public housing estates (PHEs), will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the relevant authorities conducted regular inspections of the fire service installations in shopping malls and markets of various PHEs in the past two years; if so, of the results of the inspections, as well as the names of the shopping malls and markets where cases of non-compliance were identified and the details of such cases;
(b) of the respective numbers of cases where the Fire Services Department (FSD) was informed of the suspension of certain fire service installations in such shopping malls and markets by their managers in the past two years, broken down by the estates concerned, and whether FSD was aware of how long the fire service installations were suspended in each case; and
(c) whether FSD has stepped up inspections in shopping malls and markets during the period when some of their fire service installations are suspended, so as to ensure that managers of the premises concerned have taken adequate precautionary measures against unexpected events, and whether FSD may institute prosecution against managers who have failed to take proper precautionary measures?
Reply:
Madam President,
My reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
(a) Officers of the Fire Services Department (FSD) conduct inspections in shopping malls and markets of various public housing estates from time to time. They inspected the fire service installations (FSIs) and equipment inlets, fire hydrants, fire services appliances emergency access, etc. so as to familiarise themselves with the environment. During inspection, they will also ensure that there is no obstruction to the means of escape and non-compliance with the fire regulations in those buildings. They also carry out fire prevention publicities and inspections in those buildings before festivals, such as Christmas and Chinese New Year, to ensure public safety. In the past two years (from May 2005 to April 2007), FSD conducted 684 inspections in shopping malls and markets. For suspected non-compliance cases reported by the public or detected during inspection, FSD will carry out follow-up investigation. FSD issued a total of 68 warning letters and two Fire Hazard Abatement Notices in the past two years. Please see Annex I for details.
(b) Under the existing agreement between FSD and the Association of Registered FSI Contractors of Hong Kong (the Association), FSI contractors are required to notify FSD of any overnight suspension or suspension for more than 24 hours of building FSIs by way of a specified form, stating the shut down date of FSIs and expected completion date of the works. They should notify FSD of the actual completion date by using the same form after the works are completed.
In the past two years, FSD received a total of 890 notifications on suspension of FSIs in 204 shopping malls and markets, which are listed at Annex II. The length of suspension depends on the works required. In the past two years, about 47.6% of the works were completed within one week, 22.3% completed within one week to one month, and 30.1% took more than one month to complete.
(c) Under the existing agreement between FSD and the Association, FSI contractors should notify FSD of any overnight suspension or suspension for more than 24 hours of building FSIs preferably seven days prior to the commencement of the works. Upon receipt of the notice, FSD will conduct a risk assessment of the affected premises, inspect the nearby water supply and emergency vehicular access to see if a special contingency plan needs to be prepared. No matter whether such a plan needs to be prepared or not, FSD officers in the district concerned will step up inspection and heighten their alertness to the affected premises.
FSI contractors are also required under the above agreement to take the following measures to ensure fire safety when building FSIs are shut down for repair or maintenance:
* notify residents, occupiers and management companies of the works to be carried out and the relevant temporary measures to be taken beforehand;
* whenever possible, top up water tanks prior to the commencement of the repair or maintenance works;
* complete the repair or maintenance works as early as possible, so as to minimise disruption to the normal operation of FSIs;
* as far as practicable, conduct the repair works by phases and avoid shutting down the whole system for a prolonged period, so as to ensure that part of the building FSIs remains functional; and
* in case the whole system has to be shut down, provide stand-by equipment, such as fire extinguishers, at suitable locations, and inform FSD, residents, occupiers and management companies where appropriate.
As the above agreement is for guidance only, FSD cannot prosecute those FSI contractors who do not take appropriate precautionary measures. FSD is seeking legal advice on whether the Department can, according to the Fire Service (Installation Contractors) Regulations (Cap. 95A), refer those FSI contractors who do not comply with the agreement to the disciplinary board set up pursuant to the above-mentioned Regulations for disciplinary proceedings and penalties. Subject to the above mentioned legal advice, if the contractors are found guilty, penalties will include reprimand and suspension/revocation of registration.
Ends/Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:11
NNNN
