‘Homes more than 15 years old need wiring checks’
SHAH ALAM: Owners of residential homes that are beyond 15 years of age are advised to get electrical wiring inspection for their premises, said the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department yesterday.
Its chief, Azmi Osman, said studies on fire investigation reports revealed that many fires, including those that involved fatalities, were caused by short circuit because of old and unserviced electrical system.
“This year, 14 lives were lost in Selangor because of fire.
“This is a drastic increase compared with previous years.
“After studying these incidents, the department found that most of them occurred at premises that were more than 15 years old, some more than 20 years.
“While it is costly to have thorough checks, it is still nothing compared with what one could lose in case of a fire, including valuables and lives of loved ones.
“My advice is that those who own old premises should engage experts to have their premises checked. The same goes for other buildings, including those owned and operated by government agencies,” Azmi said during an event at the Darul Tahfiz Ummul Qura tahfiz school in Batu 7 1/2 Jalan Kebun here yesterday.
He was there for a fire safety programme with tahfiz students and community members, which also saw him launching Bukit Rimau and Jalan Kebun Residents Representative Committee’s MyBomba initiative.
Present at the event, organised by the resident committee together with the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry, were Kota Raja Umno division chief Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari, officials from the ministry and Selangor fire officers.