Fire sprinklers, smoke detectors can help offset risk in Hong Kong: experts

Owners of residential buildings in Hong Kong should consider installing sprinklers and smoke detectors rather than relying on fire alarm call points with glass covers, experts have said, after video emerged that appeared to show a resident trying to sound the alarm using one of the boxes at Wang Fuk Court but without success.\nThe video clip circulating on social media purportedly taken from a security camera in the hallway of one of the towers shows the man trying to use the fire alarm call point when the blaze erupted on Wednesday last week but it failed to work.\nThe blaze spread from one tower to another six, and many residents reported they had either little or no warning of the danger.\nThe Fire Services Department said last week fire alarms did not sound in all eight blocks during tests last year.\nSix subcontractors in charge of the fire system were arrested on Wednesday. Police said they falsely reported to the department that they would not deactivate the fire alarm system during the renovation process.\nThe video clip has stoked anger online and prompted social media users to ask whether a citywide inspection of fire alarms at all residential buildings should begin as soon as possible. They asked whether automatic fire alert systems should become the norm.\nVincent Ho Kui-yip, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Building Safety, said almost all commercial buildings in the city had installed sprinkler systems, triggered by heat, while some places used smoke detectors.\n“It’s worth reviewing what locations are high risk and considering installing the fire sprinkler warning system, especially after this event [Tai Po fire],” he said.\n\nHe said it would be ideal to have at least one sprinkler in place in each staircase and lobby.\nFire alarm call points that required manual operation should be inspected annually, the veteran surveyor added.\nChan Chi-kau, a past chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, said the manual triggers were most commonly seen in older residential buildings. Wang Fuk Court was built in 1983.\nBreaking the glass triggers the fire booster pump and water from the hosepipe reel system could be delivered, he noted.\n“Of course you can replace it with an automatic fire alert system, but there is a cost there too,” he said.\n“The ‘stand-alone’ detectors cost less than HK$500 each, so I think it’s quite cheap and really worth considering.”\nHe added the upgrade cost would increase if the detectors were connected to a central fire alert system signalling the control room and guards.\n