Fanning the flames of neglect: Why Sai Kung’s eateries must prioritise fire safety

Fire Safety Engineer Sam Fan ponders the problems presented by Sai Kung’s food and beverage outlets.

Sai Kung’s vibrant dining scene is the heart of our community. From lively seafood spots along the seafront to hidden café gems in the market alleys and Western-style pubs, coffee shops, and restaurants in Sai Kung town, local licensed eateries draw residents and visitors alike. However, a troubling trend is emerging across our villages and commercial buildings: a few eateries and building managers are overlooking basic fire safety regulations.

A quick walk through the neighbourhood reveals several critical vulnerabilities:

• Locked escape doors: Emergency exits with battery-backup-powered luminous exit signs (with characters “EXIT出口”) serve one fundamental purpose—unobstructed egress during a crisis. Securing or locking these doors to prevent theft or unauthorised access, or forgetting to unlock them during business hours, creates a dangerous dead end in an emergency.
• Fire-rated doors wedged open: Fire safety rules require proper installation of fire-rated doors with functional latches and self-closing mechanisms. These doors have a notice stating “FIRE DOOR TO BE KEPT CLOSED” (防火門應常關) to remind occupants not to block or wedge them open. Some fire-rated doors have questionable effectiveness.
• Obstructed means of escape: High-volume dining often leads to spatial pinches. Stacking beer crates, extra dining chairs, or delivery boxes in corridors and stairwells turns essential escape routes into hazardous obstacle courses.
• Defective fire services installations: Hose reels, fire extinguishers, sprinkler and drencher systems, emergency lighting systems, exit signs and directional signs, the automatic shutdown mechanism of ventilation and air-conditioning systems (VAC shutdown) and staircase pressurisation systems, etc., are useless if they are not maintained in proper working order. Neglecting routine inspections leaves staff and patrons defenceless if a fire breaks out.

Besides restaurants, some commercial and residential buildings in our town also have similar problems.

Under the Fire Services Ordinance and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) licensing conditions, restaurant operators must maintain all fire safety installations and keep escape routes clear at all times. Non-compliance risks heavy fines, license suspension, or immediate revocation. More importantly, it jeopardises lives. Severe neglect of fire safety regulations can lead to a charge of gross negligence manslaughter in Hong Kong if it results in death.

Action steps for operators

1. Clear all corridors immediately: Keep emergency exits, stairwells, and passageways completely free of goods, trash, and temporary seating.
2. Conduct daily exit checks: Ensure all emergency exit doors (with a luminous EXIT出口 sign) can be opened easily from the inside without the use of a key or special knowledge. All fire-rated doors with the sign “FIRE DOOR TO BE KEPT CLOSED” should be closed unless there is a genuine and temporary need to open them.
3. Inspect fire equipment: Verify that fire extinguishers, hose reels, emergency lighting systems and other fire service installations are unobstructed and serviced annually by a registered Fire Service Installation Contractor, and valid FS251 certificates should be submitted for license renewal.
4. Train staff regularly: Ensure every employee knows the location of exit routes, how to operate fire-fighting equipment, and proper evacuation procedures.

Keeping our dining community safe requires active diligence. Let’s protect our patrons, staff, and businesses by ensuring Sai Kung remains as safe as it is welcoming.

References

1. Fire Safety Requirements of Licensed / Registered Premises – Food Premises, Fire Services Department: https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/fire_protection/licensing/premises_food.html
2. Codes of Practice for Minimum Fire Service Installations and Equipment and Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Installations and Equipment [September 2022 revision] (Current Edition) https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/fire_protection/notices/code.html
3. Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings 2011 (June 2023 version), Buildings Department https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/resources/codes-and-references/codes-and-design-manuals/fs2011.html

Sam K.W. Fan,   CEng, MCIBSE, MSc, MIET, LEED AP® BD+C, BEAM Pro, REW (B0), CDCS