Enforcement must back fire safety penalties
- Stiffer fines need to be followed by resolute action so that society takes fire prevention more seriously
A deadly blaze in a decades-old Hong Kong building in April has prompted tougher enforcement actions in tackling the fire hazards found across ageing blocks in the city.
But as in the case with other ad hoc responses by the government to major accidents, the momentum can easily fade amid a waning sense of urgency.
In a positive change, officials have pledged to submit an amendment bill to the Legislative Council as early as July to raise the penalties for people who violate fire safety regulations.
The authorities proposed raising the maximum penalty by four times to HK$100,000 for those who fail to follow a fire safety direction, and to HK$200,000 for those who ignore compliance orders. The fine for each day during which the offence continues will also increase for stronger deterrent.
In the wake of the fire that killed five people and injured dozens of others in a mixed-used building in Jordan, the Fire Services Department said it had redeployed manpower to proactively conduct inspections and take appropriate enforcement actions against irregularities, such as defective fire prevention installations and obstruction of fire escapes.
But coming after the exposure of a series of long-standing issues, including weak penalties and non-compliance, the enforcement actions seem too little, too late.
Over 9,000 enforcement actions were taken by firefighters last year, of which over 3,600 fire hazard abatement notices were issued and more than 300 prosecutions were instigated. Impressive as they seem, the numbers look insignificant when put against the tens of thousands of densely populated ageing buildings across the city.
Of the 14,000 buildings constructed without modern fire safety standards before 1987, about 10,940 buildings have been inspected and over 370,000 directions have been issued.
But only about 40 per cent of them have been complied with or discharged. Even though officials stress that it does not mean the rest are subject to immediate fire risks, the potential hazards cannot be ignored.
Heavier penalties are just the means. The legislative amendment must be sustained with more resolute enforcement actions so that fire prevention will be taken more seriously in society.
