Fighting blaze at home
Extinguishers in houses can help prevent fires, says Chor
MALACCA: Residential homes may be required to install fire prevention equipment in the future.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said the ministry had been conducting research and development on its implementation as it involved millions of homes.
“Proper and regular inspection of equipment is needed and there are no guidelines to make it compulsory to have such fire-fighting equipment in homes at the moment.
“We are looking into the various aspects for this to be implemented,” he added after launching the SAT119 throw-type fire extinguisher by Bonex Japan at Taman Semabok Perdana here yesterday.
He said it was important to first educate the people on the importance of having at least one firefighting equipment at home.
More than 55% of 5,240 fires in 2010 occurred at homes with 89 deaths and more than Rm1bil of losses recorded, he said, adding that it was essential to equip homes with fire extinguishers.
Although not a foolproof equipment, Chor noted that using an extinguisher could help delay the spread of a fire during the initial “golden three minutes” and allow victims to escape.
“Countries like South Korea and Japan have already made it compulsory to have fire extinguishers in residential homes.
“We hope to implement this soon to create safer homes and living for the people,” he added.
The product launch also saw a demonstration by firemen from the state Fire and Rescue Department on putting out a fire using the diluted SAT119, a barrier-free fire extinguisher suitable to be used by children, senior citizens and physically-challenged individuals.
Present at the launch was Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim.