The Macao government has called for greater vigilance against fire hazards following this week’s Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, which has claimed the lives of 94 people so far.
At a meeting yesterday, Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai instructed Macao’s various government departments to follow four requirements aimed at enhancing fire prevention awareness and reducing potential risks in the city.
The CE firstly urged for more fire safety inspections to take place in major locations such as large supermarkets, tourist areas, cultural and sports facilities, entertainment venues. Other at-risk areas, including ageing residential buildings and sites with a large store of gas and chemicals, were also marked for inspection.
To boost the public’s fire safety knowledge and skills, Macao’s leader called for the relevant departments to improve education and to host campaigns on fire safety, prevention and evacuation procedures.
Mitigating against “serious criminal activity” such as “violent terrorist incidents” was also a priority, with Sam instructing officials to strengthen the patrol and monitoring activities across Macao’s border crossings, transport hubs, tourist spots and other crowded areas.
Lastly, the CE outlined the need to improve the SAR’s current mechanisms and plans when dealing with public emergencies, natural disasters and cyber attacks.
Sam also ordered three major government departments – the Labour Affairs Bureau, Fire Services Bureau and the Municipal Affairs Bureau – to carry out coordinated inspections across all of Macao’s scaffolding projects from Thursday onwards.
Currently, over 60 of the SAR’s 566 construction sites make use of scaffolding, according to Labour Affairs Bureau data cited by TDM.
[See more: Hong Kong’s Tai Po Fire: death toll reaches 94 as more bodies pulled from flats]
“Regarding scaffolding works, we again urge everyone to pay attention to fire prevention measures when conducting hot works at construction sites,” the head of the Labour Affairs Bureau’s hazard monitoring division, Chan Ka Hou, said yesterday, adding that “site organisation must also be monitored.”
Speaking to TDM, Chio Tak Sio, the head of the Macau Shed Trade Union, noted that the nylon nets used in Macao’s construction sites have fire-resistant properties that ensure that the fire doesn’t spread when ignited.
“The national-standard requires protective nets to self-extinguish within 4 seconds of ignition without spreading,” said Chao Chi Kin, the vice president of the Macau Institute of Engineers. He said that even though each batch of nets are certified, sample tests are still conducted in Macao to verify their safety.
Government data reveals that Macao’s Fire Services Bureau responded to 621 fire emergencies in the first nine months of this year.
The main reasons behind these incidents included people forgetting to switch off a stove, electrical short circuits, the burning of incense and joss sticks, the leaving of combustible material and the malfunctioning of equipment. These causes accounted for 387 cases or 62.32 percent of the total number of fire emergency dispatches.
