Fire safety lapses plague schools

The Star

5 days ago

PETALING JAYA: Over 700 fire-hazard abatement (MBK) notices were issued to schools nationwide throughout 2024 and up until April of this year for failing to meet fire safety standards, says the Fire and Rescue Depart­ment.
The department had conducted fire hazard checks on 853 schools nationwide, with 144 schools flag­ged.
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A total of 767 notices were issued to the 144 schools for failing to comply with fire safety requi­rements.
It is not known how many of these schools are private and ­public.
'Pahang had the highest number of MBK notices issued for school premises, with 201 notices, followed by Perak with 82 notices and Kuala Lumpur with 75 ­notices,' the department told The Star.
The department is in the ­process of commencing legal action to charge three schools under the Fire Services Act 1988 (Act 341) for not complying with the seven notices issued to them.
The remaining 760 notices have been heeded and measures were taken to rectify the matter.
'The department has also conducted periodic checks on 'Passive and Active Safety Installations' under the Act 341 as an important enforcement measure to ensure buildings and premises are free from any fire risks,' it said.
MBKs are usually issued for defective firefighting tools and the absence of exit signs or emergency lights, among others.
Premises that receive an MBK notice must rectify the issues within the stipulated period to avoid being charged in court.
Under Act 341 (the Fire Services Act), one can be fined RM3,000 or face a maximum of three years' imprisonment, or both, for these offences.
On June 10, the administrative building of SM Sains Alam Shah in Cheras was destroyed in an early morning blaze.
This was not the only school fire reported this year.
On April 28, a fire erupted at the dormitory of SMK Tinggi Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.
Last year, the boys' dormitory of SM Sains Hulu Terengganu caught fire for the second time on June 4, following a previous fire on a different floor on May 12.
In November, the same year, a hostel at a school in Bukit Puchong, Selangor, was partially damaged by an early morning fire.
The most devastating fire reported to date is the 2017 fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school at Jalan Keramat Ujung, Kuala Lumpur, which killed 25 people.