6 building owners fined for breaching Fire Safety Act
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Six building owners have been fined for occupying their premises without a valid fire certificate.
They were charged in court between Jan 12 and April 27 with occupying their premises in contravention of Section 20 (2) of the Fire Safety Act for one to two months.
They were fined between $1,400 and $2,000.
Under the Act, premises must have a valid fire certificate before they can be occupied, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a statement yesterday.
The six premises are at 121 Neythal Road, 27 Foch Road, 40 Tuas West Road, 175 Bencoolen Street, 5 Tuas View Lane and 3 Pioneer Sector Walk. Four are industrial buildings, while 27 Foch Road and 175 Bencoolen Street are commercial buildings.
SCDF said it had alerted the building owners two months before the expiry of the fire certificates and issued multiple reminders. But the owners had failed to renew the certificates.
All six have renewed their certificates since then, added SCDF.
A valid certificate is evidence that the fire safety measures installed on the premises have been checked, and the building is safe to be occupied, said SCDF.
It has to be renewed every one to three years, depending on the area's fire risk and the extent of fire safety measures needed.
SCDF said it takes a serious view of fire certificate-related offences.
A valid certificate is issued only after a building's fire safety systems - such as fire alarms, sprinklers, and emergency power supply - have been checked and found to be in working condition.
A professional engineer must be engaged to do the checks.
If these systems are not functioning, there is great risk to the building's occupants in emergencies, and it can lead to severe consequences such as loss of life and damage to property, SCDF said.
