Fire Safety In High-rise Apartments A Top Priority - Aiman Athirah

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) through the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) is continuously implementing fire safety enforcement to prevent any unwanted incidents such as the apartment fire in Hong Kong last year.

Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Aiman ​​Athirah Sabu said this includes regulating materials, equipment and fire protection systems, as well as certifying installation so that only products that comply with standards are allowed to be used.

She said the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (Amendment 2021) also stipulates that open-plan apartment residential buildings above 40 floors or 120 metres must be equipped with safety systems such as automatic sprinklers, hose reel systems, fire alarms, fire intercoms and fire control centres.

Aiman ​​Athirah said enforcement under the Fire Services Act 1988 (Act 341) is carried out through Fire Hazard Elimination (MBK) inspections including on Joint Management Committees (JMB).

"From 2023 to 2025, a total of 1,537 inspections were carried out with 416 premises identified as non-compliant, resulting in 7,648 notices being issued. For 2026, JBPM has set a target of MBK inspections of 850 premises involving apartment buildings nationwide," she said at the Dewan Negara, today.

She was replying to a question by Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew on the extent of KPKT's preparation to deal with severe fires such as those that occurred in Hong Kong following the increase in skyscrapers in the country.

Commenting further, she said JBPM had also placed 20 Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) vehicles in strategic locations and would receive an additional 30 Fire Rescue Tender vehicles and 37 Compact Fire Rescue Tenders this year, in addition to applying for the procurement of 10 Light Turntable Ladders to strengthen preparedness.

"JBPM is also conducting strategic collaboration with the Malaysian Super High-rise Building Council involving the Petronas Twin Towers, Exchange Tower 106, Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur, Telekom Tower, Merdeka Tower 118 and Kuala Lumpur Tower to enhance high-tech safety systems, simulation training and emergency operation procedures," she said.

The Wang Fuk Court apartment fire in Tai Po, Hong Kong on Nov 26 claimed 168 lives and left nearly 5,000 residents homeless.

Meanwhile, answering a separate question posed by Senator Dr Jufitri Joha on the government's measures to deal with flash floods, Aiman ​​Athirah said 1,503 flash flood hotspot locations had been identified nationwide so far through a database developed since 2022.

She said the data was obtained through the implementation of the Environmentally Friendly Drainage Master Plan (PISMA) which is used in major cities as a guide to upgrading drainage systems and planning future development, in addition to ensuring effective implementation and maintenance of drainage.

"KPKT is currently developing a database and urban drainage system based on Geographic Information System (GIS) which integrates information on flash flood locations, drainage infrastructure, topography and physical planning parameters in local authority (PBT) areas. This system will be a single reference source to improve the accuracy of risk analysis and flash flood mitigation planning," she said.

-- BERNAMA