Proposal for Installation of Fire Alarms at HDB Blocks

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for National Development whether a manual fire alarm can be installed at the lift lobby of every floor or at least at the ground floor lift lobby of each HDB block so as to allow residents to raise the alarm and notify other residents should any in-unit fire break out within the block, similar to what is provided in private residential or commercial buildings.

All Housing and Development Board (HDB) buildings are designed to meet the prevailing Fire Code requirements. For HDB residential blocks, each residential unit is designed to be a fire compartment, to prevent the spread of fire to adjacent units. In addition, various measures have been put in place to ensure the fire safety of HDB flats. These include the provision of fire-rated entrance doors, fire-resistant walls and floors, and installing dry/wet rising mains and fire lifts, where required, to facilitate firefighting.

Under the Fire Code, manual fire alarm systems are not required for standalone residential blocks, be it HDB or private. The Fire Code requires each residential unit to be designed as a fire compartment, and so any outbreak of fire is limited to that affected unit. Hence, there is generally no need for an entire block to evacuate in the event of a fire. However, for all buildings where residential uses are mixed with other uses, such as commercial, social-communal and car park use, fire alarm systems will be installed as and when required by the Fire Code.