Debated in Parliament on 3 Oct 2017.
Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to home smoke alarms which must be installed in all newly built homes from June 2018 (a) who will be responsible for maintaining the alarms, especially in rental flats, to ensure that the detectors and batteries are working; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider connecting these alarms to a central alert system since many of our elderly have vision and hearing problems and may not notice alerts from the alarms.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has not announced the mandatory installation of home fire alarm devices (HFADs) but let me provide some background why MHA is studying the idea.
In 2016, about 70% of fire injuries are from residential fires, compared to about 40% 10 years ago. HFADs can help to minimise the number of fire injuries or fatalities in residential fire. HFADs are standalone devices that are not connected to any central alert system. The purpose of an HFAD is to provide early warning to the occupants in the event of a fire, so that they can quickly extinguish the fire or swiftly make their way to safety before the fire escalates.
In the United States, a 2015 report by the National Fire Protection Association found that the fatality rate arising from residential fires in homes with HFADs was 40% lower than those without HFADs.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has been encouraging home owners to install HFADs. There are several HFAD models available in the market that cater to different user needs and requirements. Residents who have vision and hearing problems may consider models with additional features, such as alerts via vibrating pads or visual alarms. Developers who install such systems should, likewise, be mindful of the needs of their property users.
Fire safety is everyone's responsibility. As with other fire safety provisions within homes, such as fire extinguishers or fire-rated doors, generally, the owners and occupiers are responsible for ensuring that the HFADs are kept in good working condition.
We note the Member's concern about rental tenants and the elderly. SCDF will take into consideration feedback from advisers, including Ms Pereira, before finalising the details of the scheme.
Mr Speaker: Ms Joan Pereira.
I thank the Second Minister for her reply. Would the Ministry consider instituting maintenance checks as well as battery replacement or repairs for the alarms, especially for rental flats and our studio apartments, given that our elderly may not always know how to check and it may be dangerous for them to do the maintenance check or replace batteries?
Mr Speaker, from my understanding for these home fire alarm systems, the battery life usually can last about 10 years. Maintenance, as I also understand, mainly involves pressing a button to test if there is still battery life left which then means that the alarm ought to be functional. Among SCDF, the Housing and Development Board and the People's Association grassroots, I am quite sure we can work out a good approach to maintenance. So, let me give Ms Pereira the assurance that this is something that SCDF considers very carefully and we will take the feedback from the advisers and incorporate it into the design of the scheme.
Mr Speaker: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Mr Speaker, Sir, I have one supplementary question for the Second Minister. I was consulted on this recently and I was told that it will only be installed in the rental flats that have elderly residents, not in all the rental flats. But then rental flats, people shift in and out, so I would like to ask the Second Minister: will she consider installing in all rental flats?
The short answer is yes.
Order. End of Question Time.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]
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