Fire safety concerns of the 5-storey multi-purpose buildings at Man Yee Wan New Village and Sha Tsui Village (Sai Kung Central Square)

_{The “three-nil” five-storey buildings around Sai Kung’s central square Photo: Sam Fan}

Sai Kung BUZZ is highlighting a problem related to the fire safety of the five-storey buildings around the central square in Sai Kung. When the government constructed the High Island Reservoir in the 1970s it resettled the residents in Sai Kung town, many in the buildings in the centre of town. Sai Kung resident and building engineer Sam Fan details the problems.

The government introduced the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme some years ago, mandating that owners of private buildings over 30 years old, and of more than three storeys, conduct inspections upon receiving a statutory notice from the Buildings Department. However, this poses a significant challenge for many ‘three-nil buildings’ (lacking owners’ corporations, residents’ organisations, and management companies), like the buildings in the town centre, as they struggle to coordinate due to the absence of a central authority.

When the residents of the buildings received the notice of mandatory building inspection, no one followed up. Then, the issue was shelved and delayed. Recently, they received a warning letter.

As reported by Chinese language magazine Kinliu, Sai Kung District Councillor Sky Li Tin-chi’s office is in such a three-nil building. This unique position has made him aware of the residents’ helplessness regarding building inspections. He has suggested some innovative solutions, such as allowing several adjacent old buildings to form an owners’ corporation, which could significantly ease the selection of project coordinators.

Deficiencies in safety in these single-staircase buildings in Sai Kung include the dearth of fire service installations (e.g. emergency lighting, fire hose reels, sprinklers) and passive fire protection systems (e.g. fire-rated doors for electrical rooms and apartment doors). The electrical installations may not need periodic inspection, testing and certification, which may lead to higher risk.

As a result, Sky Li took on the responsibility of coordinating the building inspections. However, when receiving the government’s building inspection instructions, the absence of owners’ corporations or residents’ organisations left the residents unprepared and clueless. Failure to heed the further warning could lead to severe consequences, including court summons, fines, or even property encumbrance.

Sky Li pointed out that the current laws allow each building to establish an owners’ corporation based on its deed of mutual covenant. However, this approach is not feasible for some three-nil buildings, which may have only ten units in a single building, with some residents being related. In such cases, selecting a few representatives to serve becomes a challenge. Sky Li suggested a more flexible approach, allowing several nearby buildings to form a joint owners’ corporation.

In addition, the Legislative Council recently passed the Fire Safety (Buildings) (Amendment) Bill 2024. The government may carry out fire protection upgrade works for non-compliant buildings, including the provision of fire hydrants and hose reel systems, manual fire alarm systems, emergency lighting systems, automatic sprinkler systems, etc., and then fees and surcharges will be levied.

_{Sai Kung District Councillor Sky Li Tin-chi}

However, Sky Li admitted that owners may be unable to afford the professional assessment. In addition, some old buildings may not be able to attain the new fire protection requirements due to the architectural design and smaller space. For example, some staircases are narrow and may be unable to accommodate fire services water tanks and hoses reels. Improvised fire safety systems (e.g. reduced tank size, direct pumping system) can be designed and installed subject to approval by the Fire Services Department. Subject to FSD’s approval, fire blankets, standalone smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers can be installed if no other fire service installations are practicable.

For further information, please visit the following websites:

Introduction to the Fire Services Department Building Improvement Support Centre, https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/fire_protection/fs_bisc.html

Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (Cap. 572), Fire Services Department https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/fire_protection/fire-safety/

Fire Safety Improvement, Buildings Department https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/fire-safety/index.html

Sam Fan’s technical publications are available on his website: https://samkwfan.wixsite.com/samkwfan.