At odds with the Fire Department

FOR the past two years, the Fire Department has been sending out letters to owners of designated premises warning them that if they do not switch to the Automatic Fire Alarm Monitoring Control System (SPKA), they would not get their fire certificates (FC). The department is still sending out such letters, which some designated building owners find intimidating. These owners currently have the Computerized Fire Alarm Monitoring System (CMS) that are running in good order, and the government has not made a ruling on the new system yet.

This matter was brought up in Parliament last year and the Housing and Local Government Minister said her ministry would look into the monopoly given to the provider of the new system.

So, when the Fire Department says that “owners must comply with the rules or face the law”, does this mean those using the CMS will be flouting the law although their system is in perfect working condition?

If the ministry hasn’t decided on the issue of the monopoly, the least it should do in the interim is to stop the Fire Department from issuing intimidating letters to the designated building owners.

The ministry should also look into the SPKA, which is touted by the service provider as being superior to the CMS System. The Consumers Association of Penang’s own research supports the claim that the CMS is better as there is no human intervention between the triggering off of the alarm and the signal reaching the fire station. In the SPKA, there is human intervention and a delay of up to two minutes at least.

S. M. MOHAMED IDRIS President Consumers Association of Penang