MANILA, Philippines Keep conducting strict fire safety inspections of buildings and charge building owners who refuse to comply with the Fire Code, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on Wednesday.
Puno issued the directive to BFP Director Enrique Linsangan, following three Metro Manila fires that destroyed millions worth of property the Wellcomm Plaza and Baclaran Mall in Pasay and the Good Earth Plaza in Manila.
In his directive, Puno asked the BFP to check all the fire safety requirements of malls, hotels, motels, inns, theaters, hospitals, residential and commercial buildings, universities, school buildings, and other similar establishments.
The BFP should check whether the owners of these buildings have complied with the issued Notices to Correct Violation.
"Any structure or establishment that is found to be operating without mandatory fire safety requirements and in clear violation of the Fire Code of the Philippines and the authority of the BFP must be charged in the proper court," he said.
According to Undersecretary Marius Corpus, the following are the common violations and deficiencies of establishments:
" no secondary exit at the projection room
" no wet standpipe system
" no standard fire exit or fire doors with a self-closing mechanism are not provided
" no extension of fire escape to ground floor
" corridors, walls, ceiling and openings are of light wooden materials
" defective manual fire alarm
" no smoke and heat detector
" inadequate battery operated emergency light
He said such defects and deficiencies are allowed to be corrected in a period of 30 to 60 days.
Acting on the instructions of the DILG, BFP chief Linsangan immediately ordered all BFP regional directors, district directors, provincial fire marshals, and city fire marshals to ensure that buildings have adequate and fully functioning fire exits, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and other fire safety equipment and facilities.
He also ordered fire safety inspectors to check all points of egress and give special attention to the food courts in malls, because they have liquified petroleum gas (LPG) tanks, which are fire hazards.
"The mandatory requirements of fire safety must be complied by these establishments base on the type of occupancy," Linsangan said. "The smallest fire safety code violation should be checked, considering that what is at stake here are peoples lives and properties."
Several establishments in Quezon City and Manila have been found to have violated some fire safety requirements. But despite of the violations the establishments, many hotels and inns have continued operating. - GMANews.TV