Preventing Accumulation of Flammable Materials in Public Areas

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs what regulatory and non-regulatory measures are in place to prevent the accumulation of flammable materials in public areas, such as along Queen Street, that may pose a fire risk to businesses, residents and visitors.

Mr K Shanmugam: Fire risks in public areas can arise from unsafe practices, including the accumulation of combustible materials, such as cardboard boxes, obstruction of emergency egress routes and blocking of fire safety equipment, such as fire hosereels.

When the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) encounters such cases, it adopts an escalatory enforcement approach. Abatement notices are issued for minor cases of non-compliance. Composition fines are imposed for more serious non-compliances or repeated instances. SCDF will consider prosecution for egregious breaches or where the errant party fails to rectify the fire safety non-compliance.

To prevent the accumulation of items in public areas from causing disamenities, the relevant agencies may also exercise their respective regulatory powers to direct the responsible individuals to remove potentially hazardous items.