After the fire in a mini apartment building on Khuong Ha Street (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi ), the issue that many people are concerned about is the fire prevention awareness of the people, local authorities and project investors, which has been raised and requires a solution to this problem.
According to Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long, Director of the Center for Research and Application of Fire Prevention and Rescue Science and Technology (Fire Prevention and Rescue University, Ministry of Public Security ), mini apartments are very popular in some residential areas but are often not built according to the planning but are built according to the investor, choosing a location for effective investment.
These houses also often have wrong building permits. From the recent fire, we have seen a series of construction violations, all applying for one permit but building another.
Regarding the construction location, according to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long, due to the nature of the business, the investor chooses a location that is profitable for business, often located deep in an alley. For example, in the mini apartment fire on September 12, the distance from the beginning of the alley to the building was 400m, making rescue work difficult.
Because they were built without a permit, most of them do not have an escape route. These buildings usually have only one escape route. Balconies and windows, due to security reasons, are often built in a “tiger cage” style, making it difficult for the authorities to access them when a problem occurs.
Regarding building operations, these buildings often do not have a smoke exhaust system or a ventilation system.
On the other hand, fire protection equipment in these buildings is often thin and poor. The guards are not professional, mostly elderly people without expertise, and are not capable of handling fires when they occur.
Equipment includes: Fire alarm system, automatic fire extinguishing system almost 100% does not meet the requirements. According to regulations, apartment systems must have fire alarm and fire extinguishing systems in the basement and each building. The management of the power system in the building is very loose and does not meet the requirements.
The people living in this mini building are of different backgrounds. Fire prevention awareness is almost non-existent, and the use of fire and heat sources is very complicated.
The buildings are mostly tube-shaped, when a fire occurs, the situation becomes complicated. When a fire occurs, smoke will quickly push into the apartments, there is no ventilation, making it easy for people to suffocate. Making the impact of the fire very large, people panic very easily affecting people.
Raising awareness of fire prevention and fighting
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long also said that the management agency still has many loopholes in management such as: Issuing construction permits in one way but building in another; issuing permits without management, without close inspection and supervision; many violations but not detected and resolutely handled.
There are also many shortcomings in building management departments such as electricity and gas. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long cited that the electricity industry discovered that it was necessary to consult with the government about fire prevention and fighting, but so far there have been almost no reported cases.
“This fire shows that people do not have a high level of awareness of the law, do not know which houses are illegal, do not have red books or official legal documents but still buy them,” said Mr. Long.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long, in a building without fire prevention facilities, built in a "tiger cage" style, without a balcony, people still buy and use it without reporting to the authorities. That shows that general awareness of matters related to property and life is still limited.
"The mini apartment fire on September 12 is a serious incident that we need to look at, need to look at it from there to warn and raise awareness of fire prevention and fighting," said Colonel Nguyen Thanh Long.
Mini apartments are no longer allowed to park on floors with emergency exits.
From December 1, according to the newly revised circular of the Ministry of Construction regarding fire safety of houses and buildings, mini apartments will not be allowed to park vehicles on floors with emergency exits.
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