Maintenance of Fixed Fire Installations

by
Ir. Wong See Foong,
F.I.E.M., F.I.Fire E., P.Eng.
President,
Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia
FIRE CAN HAPPEN
TO ANYONE
ANYTIME AND
ANYWHERE
 HOW FIRE AFFECTS YOU

 Property and material loss

 Business interruption
 Loss of time
 Loss of reputation and commitment to client
 Loss of lifes
 INSURANCE AGAINST FIRE

Only insures property and material loss and

does not cover:
 Loss of lives
 Loss of productivity
 Loss due to business interruption
 Loss of reputation and commitment to client
 1. FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS

1.1 Street, Drainage and Building Act, 1974

 Uniform Building By-laws, 1984:

 Part VII: Fire Requirements
 Part VIII: Fire Alarm, Fire Detection, Fire
Extinguishment and Fire Fighting
Access
 1. FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS

1.2 Fire Services Act, 1988:

 Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order, 1998

 Fire Services (Fire Certificate) Regulations, 2001

 2. PURPOSE OF REGULATIONS

2.1 Uniform Building By-laws, 1984

 Determines all the passive and active fire safety

systems required to be provided to ensure the
safety of the building when the building is
occupied.
 2. PURPOSE OF REGULATIONS

2.2 Fire Services (Designated Premises) Order,

1998

 To define the type of building usage, size and

location that requires a Fire Certificate for the
building to be occupied.
 2. PURPOSE OF REGULATIONS

2.3 Fire Services (Fire Certificate) Regulations,

2001

 To monitor and control Renovations and changes

to the Building; and

 To ensure proper maintenance of fire safety

systems during occupation of the building.
 3. FIRE SERVICES (DESIGNATED
PREMISES) ORDER, 1998

 1. Libraries of more than 1000 sq. meters;

 2. Hospitals and nursing homes of 3 storeys and over
 3. Hotels of 21 rooms and over.
 4. Hostels and dormitories 6 storeys and over.
 5. Offices exceeding 30 m. in height or 10,000 sq.m;
 3. FIRE SERVICES (DESIGNATED
PREMISES) ORDER, 1998

 6. Shops of 2001 sq. meters and over.

 7. Factories, flatted factories exceeding 7000 cu.
Meters, Special structures, palm oil mills, oil refinery,
cement works and those with Hazardous processes.
 8. Places of Assembly
 9. Storage and Underground car park structures
 3. FIRE SERVICES (DESIGNATED
PREMISES) ORDER, 1998

Categories of Buildings exempted are:

 Bungalows, Terrace and Semi-detached houses;

 Apartment Buildings;
 Schools;
 Places of Worship;
 3. FIRE SERVICES (DESIGNATED
PREMISES) ORDER, 1998

Mixed use Buildings requiring Fire Certificate are:

 Apartments on a shopping podium;

 Office annex to factories;
 4. FIRE SERVICES (FIRE CERTIFICATE)
REGULATIONS, 2001

 Fire Certificate is valid for one year only;

 Application for renewal to be made annually;
 Renewal is subjected to Bomba inspection.
4.1 RESPONSIBILITY FOR APPLICATION

 Building owner;
 Occupant;
 Building Management Committee;
 4.2 MULTIPLE BUILDINGS

Fire Certificate for multiple building occupancies to be

determined by:

 Ownership of land on which buildings are

constructed;
 Common fire fighting systems serving multiple
buildings; or
 Common Computerised Monitoring System (CMS).
 4.3 DOCUMENTS TO BE AVAILABLE

 Original plans approved by Bomba, if available;

 As-Built drawings of the building layout complete
with internal partitions;
 Maintenance records for fire fighting systems;
 4.4 RESPONSIBILITY FOR
FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS

The responsibility for the maintenance of Fire safety

systems is with the building owner or :
 Joint Developer and Management
Committee where there is no strata title;
 Building Management Committee, where
strata title is available;
 Board of Directors, if owned by a Company.
 5. MODIFICATIONS DURING
FIT-OUT WORKS

During renovations fire safety systems should be

reconfigured to suit the new interior layout in
accordance with the fire safety regulations.

A building user manual should be provided for

tenants to follow during fit-out works.

Proper plans should be submitted for approval.

 5.1 WHAT TO AVOID DURING
FIT-OUT WORKS

 Escape routes to staircases must be retained;

 Fire exit doors must not be sealed;
 Sprinkler heads must not be covered up;
 Smoke detectors must not be removed;
 Hose reels and extinguishers must be accessible;
 Isolation valves must not be closed after fit-out;
 6. REGULAR MAINTENANCE

Fire safety equipment such as fire pumps, fans and

generators need to be maintained and tested
regularly to ensure that they are in proper operating
condition.

 Preventive maintenance is to replace equipment

before they fail.
 Corrective maintenance is to replace equipment
after they fail.
 6.1 MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS

 Maintenance should be carried out by competent

Contractors.
 A proper maintenance schedule must be followed.
 Detail check list for each equipment must be
followed.
 Equipment testing must be carried out regularly.
 Select contractors based on their commitment to
proper maintenance.
 6.2 INSPECTION AND TESTING

Maintenance must include detail inspection and testing:

 All visible components must be inspected to detect

any defect likely to cause failure of the system.
 Manual testing must be carried out for fire pumps
and equipment to check that they operate properly.
 System test must be carried out to ensure that
equipment interface is working properly.
 DO NOT INSTALL
IF YOU CANNOT MAINTAIN !
7. PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

The fire extinguishers should be checked for

damage and the certificate renewed annually.
 8. HOSE REEL SYSTEMS

Hose reels should not be used for washing floors,

cars, motocycles or for watering plants.
 9. FIRE HYDRANTS

Hydrant outlets should not be concealed by

vegetation and the isolation valves should not be
buried or inaccessible.
 10. WET RISER SYSTEMS

The fire pump should be tested regularly and

where diesel engines are installed, these should be
exercised regularly.

Landing valves should be accessible and the

breeching inlet should not be obstructed.
 11. AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

The fire pump should be tested regularly and the

floor isolation valves should be locked in the open
position.

Isolation valves should be locked in either the

closed or open position as designed.
 12. FIRE DETECTION SYSTEMS

 System faults should be checked and

rectified instead of isolating the alarm.

 Fire Alarm Panel should be manned by

trained personnel
13. CARBON DIOXIDE EXTINGUISHING
SYSEMS

The discharge valves on the cylinders should not

be wired up and prevented from actuating for fear
of accidental discharge.
14. EMERGENCY EXIT SIGNS

Batteries should be checked and replaced

when life span has expired.

15. EMERGENCY LIGHTS

Batteries should be checked and replaced

when life span has expired.
16. ELECRICAL WIRING

Wiring should not be loose and dangling but

should be run in conduits.

17. FIRE DAMPERS

The damper blades should not be jammed or

otherwise prevented from closing.
 18. SMOKE VENTING SYSTEM

Smoke detectors used to activate the system

should be working properly and not isolated due to
faults.

Roller shutters should not be obstructed and

prevented from operating properly.
19. Fire Lift

The fire lift lobby should not be used for

temporary storage.

20. Staircases and Corridors

Staircases and landings should not be used be

used as temporary storage spaces.
 SUMMARY

DO NOT INSTALL
IF YOU DO NOT MAINTAIN !
Thank You
For Your Attention