LCQ2: Supporting industrial building owners in implementing fire safety improvement works
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Question:
There are views that the fragmented ownership of certain industrial buildings make it difficult to co-ordinate the implementation of fire safety improvement works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of industrial buildings in each of the 18 districts across the territory at present, and among these industrial buildings, the number of those which are used for depositing dangerous goods;
(2) in view of the slow progress of fire safety improvement works in industrial buildings due to fragmented ownership and co-ordination difficulties, whether the Government will set up a interdepartmental "one-stop" support mechanism (e.g. a coordination task force) to proactively intervene and assist owners in resolving technical issues and tender disputes; for cases in which consensus cannot be reached for an extended period and the fire safety risks are extremely high, whether the Government will adopt an "improve first, pay later" arrangement (i.e. the Government will implement the works on behalf of the owners and then recover the costs from them), so as to safeguard public safety; and
(3) as there are views that the cost of the Internet of Things Fire Detection System (IoT FDS) capable of real-time fire monitoring is lower than that of traditional systems and that its installation is subject to fewer restrictions in terms of building structure or spatial conditions, whether the Government will consider replacing traditional fire service installations in industrial buildings with IoT FDS or other feasible solutions, and providing relevant subsidies, so as to expedite fire safety improvement works in industrial buildings?
Reply:
President,
The Government is committed to upgrading the fire safety standards of old industrial buildings to meet modern fire safety requirements, such as requiring the buildings to install automatic sprinkler systems to provide better protection for occupants, users and visitors of the buildings. For this, the Fire Safety (Industrial Buildings) Ordinance (Cap. 636) (the Ordinance) came into operation on June 19, 2020. As the enforcement authorities (EAs) for the Ordinance, the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Buildings Department (BD) will conduct in an orderly manner joint inspections of old industrial buildings constructed before March 1, 1987, or with the building plans first submitted to the Building Authority for approval before that day (target industrial buildings), and issue Fire Safety Directions (Directions) based on the actual conditions of the buildings and require the owners and/or occupants to upgrade the fire service installations and equipment and fire safety construction of the buildings concerned to the required standard.
Having consulted the Development Bureau, the reply to the questions raised by the Hon Christine Fong is as follows:
(1) The number of industrial buildings and the number of industrial buildings storing dangerous goods in the 18 districts across the territory, according to the records of the FSD and the BD, are provided in the Annex.
(2) To assist owners and occupants of old buildings to comply with the statutory requirements for fire protection, the FSD has developed a "one-stop" support network. The FSD established the first Building Improvement Support Centre (BISC) in Kowloon in December 2023, and one BISC each on Hong Kong Island and in the New Territories in June 2025, so as to provide one-stop support and consultation services. Starting from the issuance of the Directions up till the improvement works are completed and the legislative requirements are fully met, the BISCs provide end-to-end support. The services being offered include the explanation of the legislative requirements, facilitation of plan approval and arrangement of acceptance inspections, assistance in applying for subsidies and loans, as well as referral of cases to relevant departments for follow-up. These services enable owners to understand the options and procedures for complying with the Directions, making it easier for them to come up with a suitable compliance plan among the owners themselves. Taking the target industrial buildings as an example, the BISCs can help the owners apply for the BD's Building Safety Loan Scheme if they need financial support for the required fire safety improvement works.
As for defaulted works, unlike the situation where owners of some old composite and domestic buildings find it difficult to comply with the Directions due to the lack of co-ordination capacity, industrial buildings are mostly operated on a business basis, and their owners are predominantly registered companies and business investors who have handled contracts, finance and project management in daily operations with organisational capacity generally higher than that of minority property owners of residential buildings. In fact, since the implementation of the Ordinance in 2020, fire safety improvement works in target industrial buildings have generally made good progress. As at the end of May 2026, 91 per cent of the Directions issued by the FSD to individual units in target industrial buildings had been complied with. Therefore, the Government considers that there is currently no urgent need to introduce defaulted works for the target industrial buildings.
Moreover, if the Directions are not complied with without any reasonable excuse, the EAs may apply to a magistrate for a Fire Safety Compliance Order to compel the completion of the works within a specified period. If compliance is yet to be found by the deadline, the EAs may further apply for a Prohibition Order to prohibit the use of the building or part thereof.
On the other hand, if the FSD identifies an imminent fire hazard in an industrial building, it may issue a Fire Hazard Abatement Notice to require the abatement of the fire hazard within a specified period. If the requirement is not complied with, the FSD may take direct action to abate the fire hazard and recover the costs so incurred, or apply to a magistrate for a Fire Hazard Order to compel the party concerned to abate the fire hazard within a specified period, or even apply for a Prohibition Order to prohibit the use of the building or part thereof.
The Government will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the Ordinance and adopt a multi-pronged approach to encourage the owners to comply with the relevant requirements as soon as possible.
(3) The FSD launched the Pilot Scheme on the Internet of Things Fire Detection System (IoT FDS) at the end of 2025 and installed the IoT FDS in 10 selected old composite buildings of six or less storeys across the territory, with a view to assessing its feasibility and effectiveness. The buildings concerned are exempted from the installation of fire service equipment such as fire hose reels, fire water tanks and water pumps, thereby assisting owners to comply with the Directions more readily. During the trial period, the IoT FDS demonstrated reliable performance and stable operation, with no false alarm recorded. In view of the satisfactory results that met the expectations, the FSD has accepted the IoT FDS and portable fire extinguishers as an alternative solution in lieu of hose reels and manual fire alarm systems in composite and domestic buildings of six or less storeys regulated under the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance.
Meanwhile, the FSD is exploring the technical feasibility of extending the system to composite and domestic buildings of seven or more storeys regulated under the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance.
As for target industrial buildings, since their fire risks are higher and their fire safety requirements differ from those of composite and domestic buildings, such as the mandatory installation of an automatic sprinkler system throughout the entire building, the IoT FDS therefore cannot be used as an alternative solution at this stage. Nevertheless, the FSD will encourage voluntary installation of the system in industrial buildings and other suitable buildings to further enhance the overall fire safety standards. The FSD will also continue to explore other facilitation measures to assist owners of target industrial buildings in complying with the Directions.
Ends/Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:43
Issued at HKT 12:43
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