Fire Dept hauls up 76 tahfiz for safety issues

TANJONG KARANG: The Fire and Rescue Department has served notices on 76 tahfiz which failed to comply with safety regulations.

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Tan Sri Noh Omar said the schools have six months to make the necessary changes to their premises.

Some 231 tahfiz nationwide have been inspected by the department over the past week.

“A total of 144 notices were issued to the 76 schools,’’ Noh told reporters after visiting eight tahfiz and one children’s home in his Tanjong Karang parliamentary constituency.

The schools were hauled up for having insufficient exit points or doors in the buildings, no fire extinguishers, lack of fire safety measures and faulty wiring, among other infractions.

“The department has briefed them about the changes that have to be made and we hope that these will be completed soon,” said Noh who was accompanied by Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim and Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman.

The action follows a spate of tahfiz fires. On Sept 14, a fire killed 21 students and two teachers at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah school in Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur.

Noh said that the administrators of the 76 schools were also advised to install smoke detectors in their buildings as an additional safety measure.

He said that although there were sufficient laws to initiate action against owners of premises that flouted safety requirements, the authorities did not want to come down hard on tahfiz and preferred a win-win solution for all parties.

Noh said the department would be checking on all tahfiz, as well as schools with hostels, in the country as directed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“The department has been given until Oct 23 to complete the inspec- tions and will give me their report which I will present to the Cabinet,’ he said.

He said the Government would also look at other ways to help increase safety at tahfiz, most of which were self-funded.

“At the moment, the GIATMARA (skills training institute) has agreed to help with the rewiring in these premises,” said Noh.

As for the tahfiz and children’s home in his constituency, Noh said that all had adhered to safety regulations.