All state governments should immediately adopt the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (Amendment 2012) to prevent building fires.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the by-laws should be implemented to ensure the safety of people following a growing number of strata residence in the country.
"The ministry will be asking the Fire and Rescue Department to send letters to all state governments to remind them to adopt the by-laws as a measure to prevent fires in buildings. We have passed the laws but they should be adopted at state level and I hope all states would implement them from now," he told reporters at the Tanjong Karang parliamentary constituency open house here Saturday.
Noh was commenting on a local English daily which reported that many states did not adopt the by-laws which would ensure better building management including aspects of fire prevention.
According to the report, the by-laws which had been passed five years ago was only gazetted by five states namely Sabah, Selangor, Terengganu and Penang while Sarawak has its own building ordinance.
Under the by-laws, all residential buildings constructed after 2012 which exceeded 30 metres high or 10 floors in the four states must be equipped with fire detector, while residential premises under 18 metres built after 2012 must be equipped with fire extinguishers.
Commenting further, Noh said the fire at a flat in London, United Kingdom which took many lives recently should be a lesson and it proved the implementation of the by-laws should not be taken lightly.
"Awareness in installing fire prevention gadgets should be taken seriously to enable initial fire extinguishing measures to be activated," he said.
According to records, incidents of fire took 107 lives and injured 477 people involving losses amounting to RM2.86 billion last year.
-- BERNAMA
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the by-laws should be implemented to ensure the safety of people following a growing number of strata residence in the country.
"The ministry will be asking the Fire and Rescue Department to send letters to all state governments to remind them to adopt the by-laws as a measure to prevent fires in buildings. We have passed the laws but they should be adopted at state level and I hope all states would implement them from now," he told reporters at the Tanjong Karang parliamentary constituency open house here Saturday.
Noh was commenting on a local English daily which reported that many states did not adopt the by-laws which would ensure better building management including aspects of fire prevention.
According to the report, the by-laws which had been passed five years ago was only gazetted by five states namely Sabah, Selangor, Terengganu and Penang while Sarawak has its own building ordinance.
Under the by-laws, all residential buildings constructed after 2012 which exceeded 30 metres high or 10 floors in the four states must be equipped with fire detector, while residential premises under 18 metres built after 2012 must be equipped with fire extinguishers.
Commenting further, Noh said the fire at a flat in London, United Kingdom which took many lives recently should be a lesson and it proved the implementation of the by-laws should not be taken lightly.
"Awareness in installing fire prevention gadgets should be taken seriously to enable initial fire extinguishing measures to be activated," he said.
According to records, incidents of fire took 107 lives and injured 477 people involving losses amounting to RM2.86 billion last year.
-- BERNAMA
