Hong Kong Highrise Fire Safety Campaign

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Hong Kong's high-rise fire safety campaign

NFPA Journal, May/Jun 2001 by Anderson, Charles

Recognizing the need to improve fire safety in older buildings, the Hong Kong Fire ServicesDepartment launched an improvement campaign. CHARLES ANDERSON

For veteran firefighter and recently retired director of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, JohnTsang Kwong-yu, the destructive force of a major conflagration comes as no surprise. During his 36years with the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (HKFS), loss of life and property due to fire have become regrettably common.

But the fire to which he responded to on November 20, 1996, was anything but common. And it had a profound effect on the HKFS and on the tasks he would undertake when he became its chief two yearslater. It was, he says, the most terrifying day of his long career.

In the densely packed streets of Kowloon, across the harbor from Hong Kong island, fire rippedthrough the 16-story Garley commercial building. Flames funneled up the elevator shaft like a giantBunsen burner, killing 40 people, including a firefighter, and injuring 81 others, many of whom wereunable to escape from the buildings upper floors. Investigators later determined that the blaze startedwhen sparks and molten metal fell onto combustible materials stacked in an elevator shaft during awelding operation.

"It was a most difficult fire to extinguish," says Tsang, who was commanding officer at the scene."There was no safe ground for us to enter the building," he explains. The first three floors and the topthree floors of the building were on fire.

"We had to enter by climbing down from the stairs of the top floors in dense smoke," he says. "It waslike trying to put out a fire by climbing down a chimney."

As a result of the fire, authorities learned how disastrous poor housekeeping and a lack of fire safetyeducation can be in old high-rises. Smoke doors on the top floors had been wedged open, allowingrapid fire spread, and no safety precautions had been taken while the elevators were being repaired.Many of the buildings residents and occupants used the elevators exclusively and didn't even know thelocation of the stairwells.

Around the same time, three other high-rise tragedies occurred: the deaths of 17 and injuries of 13

party-goers in a Triad-related arson attack on a karaoke bar in a high-rise building, a blaze in a high-rise residential complex that killed 9 and injured 37; and a fire in another composite (combination) building in which 2 died and 59 were injured when their escape routes were blocked by heavy smoke.These tragedies shook the city to its core.

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To their credit, officials in Hong Kong, which then had a population of more than six million packedinto overcrowded urban neighborhoods, realized that they had to survey their aging buildings, persuadeowners to carry out necessary improvements, and teach their citizens how to prevent fires and handlethem should they break out.

Authorities set a 10-year deadline for the improvement campaign, starting with older buildings thatneeded retrofitting. They began with the Fire Safety Ordinance: Commercial Premises for commercial buildings and will then move on to private blocks-either a combination of commercial and residentialoccupancies or strictly residential occupancies-and industrial buildings.

It's no small task. In 1987, when a new set of fire safety codes of practice were introduced and modernfire service installations were included, there were 15,000 registered buildings. Eleven years later, anHKFS survey found that only 28 percent of private buildings in Hong Kong had satisfactory fireservice installations and fire service management. The government's Buildings Department alsodiscovered that 80 percent of combination buildings, composed of residential and commercial

occupancies, had serious deficiencies in exit routes.

The success of the improvement campaign has been aided by loans, which were introduced to help building owners with large retrofitting costs, and by the authorities' understanding that businesses needto keep operating while buildings are retrofitted.

"At the start, people were less helpful," says Tsang. "Now, they tend to be quite cooperative, and the program is working well.

"To help building owners comply with our requirements, we operate a loan program with a low interestrate. If they have financial problems, they can come to us when they receive the HKFS improvement

notice, and we'll consider their application."

The next phase

The next phase of the improvement campaign may be more complicated.

"For composite (combination) and residential buildings, we're determining whether we can introducenew legislation to give us the power to require retrofitting," says Tsang. The loan program is also upfor discussion. Authorities have yet to determine whether the program should include residential buildings. In Hong Kong, one- and two-family homes are extremely rare. Residential occupancies aretypically high-rises, ranging from 10 to 30 stories.

The new Fire Safety Building Bill, an extension of the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance,covers 5,000 composite (combination) or residential blocks built before 1973. It's currently in thelegislative process. After those building have been inspected, officials will concentrate on an additional4,000 blocks built between 1973 and 1987. They estimate they'll meet the 10-year improvementcampaign deadline.



"Before the new laws come into effect, we're continuing our inspections and visiting many other buildings, especially the bad ones, to give advice and to ensure current fire safety measures aremaintained," says Tsang. "For example, are the smoke doors operating property? Is egress obstructed?We must make sure there are no illegal alterations and that sprinklers and detectors are working

properly."

Tsang notes that it can be frustrating staying on top of all the inspections.

"Sometimes, it doesn't matter how hard we work," he says. "You may visit a building, but later, theillegal alterations are brought back."

While Tsang may deplore such thoughtlessness, he also understands the driving forces behind it.

"In Hong Kong, because people must concentrate on how to make a living, the value of fire safety can be low," he notes. In some commercial buildings, you have domestic areas on upper floors and

commercial enterprises on lower floors. They're so densely populated that often the fire safetymeasures and smoke lobbies aren't maintained. In most cases, they're used as an extension of thecommercial shops, further reducing fire safety.

Tsang understands that cooperation, not coercion, is key.

"When we started the program, all the governmental departments agreed that we should take aconsiderate approach," he says. "If owners need help, we'll help them."

"For instance, if a commercial building is unsprinklered and there's no room for a standard water tank,we'll speak to the Water Supplies Department on the owner's behalf and apply for an improvised

system, and work with engineers to look for space for a reduced sized water tank. It's a joint effort. Thedepartment is ready to work with anyone and consider ways to help them.

"It's difficult to ask a major commercial building owner to close for three months in order to retrofit,"Tsang adds. "We agreed that the owners can do it in phases, so their business won't be affected. If we're not flexible, they may refuse to make the necessary improvements. Then we'd have to take themto court, and that's not our aim. The purpose is to ensure they make improvements, rather than prosecute them."

Different standards to choose from

There's also the question of which standards should be followed. Hong Kong doesn't create its own setof standards. Rather, senior officials are sent overseas to study different versions. As a result, there's nosingle answer, as long as the chosen standards are internationally accepted. Because Hong Kong was aBritish colony for nearly a century, British standards are still used. Since the change over, however, thecity is exploring other code options. NFPA standards are gaining acceptance, which pleases Tsang.



"NFPA standards aren't widely used in Hong Kong," he says. But Jeff Godfredson, NFPA's director of Asia-Pacific Operations, is changing that. NFPA recently strengthened its commitment to Hong Kongwhen it relocated its Asia-Pacific office there from Australia.

"By liaising with Jeff," says Tsang. "We organized seminars to discuss matters with fire safety

equipment contractors and other professionals, to find out ways to make NFPA standards equally popular in Hong Kong."

NFPA seminars offered in Hong Kong include NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, and NFPA130, Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems, both of which have been attended by HongKong fire service officers.

Godfredson points out that Hong Kong is moving towards a performance-based code environment. Tohelp authorities meet the challenges of the built environment, Godfredson has made presentations toHong Kong fire and building officials on NFPA's consensus-based codes- and standards-development process. Last year, HKFS sent two senior officers to NFPA's World Fire Safety Congress and

Exposition in Denver, Colorado.

Tsang believes this is particularly important in relation to the equipment contractors use.

"We must," he says, "look at the equipment supplied to the work force and choose the right technical bodies. This is where NFPA helps."

Other modernization drives

Other improvements are also taking place at HKFS, which was first established in 1868 when HongKong was a fledgling British colony. Today, the ethnically diverse city is an international conduit for

the People's Republic of China and is home to a major port, commercial center, and internationalairport. The city's fire and ambulance personnel total 8,415, with the support of 796 civilians.

The fire services, split into three commands-Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories-are eachrun by a chief fire officer with a total force of 5,030. In 1999, they responded to 43,559 fire calls and21,041 special service calls. Annual operating costs top U.S.$350 million.

The Ambulance Command, a branch of the Fire Services Department, has 2,215 uniformed staff members who report to the chief ambulance officer. They received 484,923 calls during the same period.

The Hong Kong Fire Service operates 71 fire stations, which house 313 apparatus. They also have sixfire boat stations, eight fire boats, and a 290-- member diving unit available to meet the uniquechallenges presented by the world's busiest container port and the new international airport on LantauIsland. (For more information on Hong Kong International Airport, see NFPA JournalsJanuary/February 2001 issue.)



Response times are critical in Hong Kong. Congested roads, access problems, threats to surrounding buildings in crowded neighborhoods, and the mix of factories and commercial premises amongresidential units mean the HKFS must react as quickly as possible.

In 1999, 92 percent of reported fires were answered within the targeted response time of six minutes

for built-up developments and within 9 to 23 minutes for remote areas.

Officer training

Training is key to ensuring that the department meets the challenges of the rapidly growing city.Assistant divisional officers are taught technical and management skills, and rotate amongheadquarters, fire prevention, and firefighting duties. To gain a broader perspective of operations,officers are also placed outside the fire service, with senior divisional officers paired with governmentcentral policy bureaus, such as security, planning, and finance departments.

Currently, officers receive some of their training at the U.S. National Fire Academy in Emmitsville,

Maryland; the Fire Services College in Moreton in Marsh, England; or the Ching Wah University inBeijing, China. Tsang has been at the forefront of efforts for the creation of a fire academy in HongKong.

"The number of major fires in new buildings is dropping because of proper fire protection systems," heexplains. Since the Fire Safety (Commercial Buildings) Ordinance went into effect in 1997, three-alarm fires in commercial buildings have dropped from 10 major fires in 1997 to 3 in 1999.

"Of course, there's still the chance of a big fire," says Tsang. "From a training perspective, the problemis that fire officers aren't seeing many fires. We need realistic simulation training with enhanced programs, especially for rescue teams."

Paramedics would also gain from training that's currently unavailable in Hong Kong's busy hospitals.It's hoped an academy can be built and operational in five years, a challenge in a city where land isexpensive and scarce.

"It requires resources and support from the community," says Tsang.

Protecting an international air hub

Real-site training issues also apply to Hong Kong International Airport, where emergencies are rarer.

Two fire stations are maintained at Chek Lap Kok, manned by a 306-member staff, with 14 appliances,two sea rescue berths, and two boat points at strategic sites on the airport apron. Eight speedboats andtwo command boats, capable of rescuing 600 people up to 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the airport, areon standby and can respond to an airport emergency within two minutes.

Such a fast response time was required in the summer of 1999 when a China Airlines jet clipped therunway and flipped over as it landed during a typhoon, killing three passengers. It's the only major incident recorded since the airport opened in 1998.



"We're fortunate that our response time was so fast," says Tsang. "This remains a high-risk area. We'reconstantly updating our skills and sending officers abroad for training."



Port of call

Hong Kong's port also contains a unique set of challenges, exacerbated by the withdrawal of theBritish Navy when the territory was handed back to China in 1997. Before the change over, HKFS

only dealt with incidents in Hong Kong's compact, deep-water harbor. Now, it must also respond toemergencies outside Hong Kong waters.

"We have to train people and equip vessels to be ocean-going, which necessitates funding. We need tohave personnel who can use their skills out in the ocean," says Tsang.

Goods shipped through the port itself pose problems, as well. Hong Kong's existing Dangerous GoodsOrdinance focuses on land control, leaving shipments of materials, such as chemicals, to the control of the Marine Department. Safety controls, general storage, transit and oil retailing, and storage rules allneed to be updated.

A new set of regulations, based on standards, such as the International Maritime Dangerous Goods andUnited Nations standards, three years in the making, is expected to be in force by this summer. A newfire hazard abatement ordinance may take another six months.

Many advances have been made possible by Hong Kong Fire Services' enthusiasm for taking theadvances made by fire organizations, such as NFPA and adapting them to the circumstances of their city.

Before he retired last January, Tsang contemplated the tasks awaiting his successor, Stephen Hsu. Hisdepartment is keen to learn from others, he says, but he hopes Hong Kong can repay that in part byleading the way in the mammoth task of upgrading the safety standards of its building stock.

"This will happen to all fire brigades sooner or later," he says. "There are many old cities without town planning. Eventually, the others will follow suit."

Copyright National Fire Protection Association May/Jun 2001

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Hong Kong Highrise Fire Safety Campaign