Someone, somewhere is playing with fire. After a survey carried out this year, firefighters noted that 805 public buildings do not have a mandatory Fire Certificate, meaning they pose high risks to workers and visitors.
In their survey, firefighters noted that only 277 out of 1,082 public buildings hold such a clearance certificate, Defi Media reported.
Non-compliant buildings, it said, have been placed in two categories: Those that require minor works and those that need major works.
A total of 404 buildings have important deficiencies and need “substantial funds” to be compliant to health and safety laws.
The scale of the problem was revealed in a written response filed in Parliament by Anwar Husnoo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Administrations and Disaster Risk Management, to a question from the opposition Whip, Patrice Armance.
Dr Husnoo said the “most important deficiencies” include the absence of a fire alarm system and a lack of emergency exits (emergency door or staircase).
Some 401 buildings could not have their Fire Certificates due to “small” deficiencies: lack of fire extinguishers, emergency lighting system and signs for emergency exits, among others.
In July 2017, firefighters had indicated that around 950 out of 1,110 government buildings did not have a Fire Certificate. An inter-ministerial committee had been set up with the aim of finding quick solutions. Four years later, the buildings that had been pinned down still remain non-compliant to security laws.
