Showing posts with label firehazards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label firehazards. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Monday, December 24, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Act against overflowing HDB shopfront displays
Dec 17, 2007
I REFER to the report, 'Shop owners still ignoring rules on outdoor displays' (ST, Dec7). It is high time the authorities clamped down on overflowing HDB shopfront displays. It is also surprising that they are taking so long to act.
The shopfronts do not belong to the shop owners or tenants, but these people behave as though they own the space with blatant disregard for public convenience in using the space as passageways.
It is also open knowledge that many shop owners actually rent out their shopfront space to others who most of the time may ply a completely different trade. We see, for example, a goldsmith's shop with a phone accessories stall in front.
I wonder why the authorities seem to be oblivious to all this.
The shop owners should be grateful that the HDB allows them to display their wares in the designated space (which the shop owners do not own in the first place).
I hope the authorities will be steadfast in enforcing the current rules to ensure the shopfronts are in compliance with safety regulations and, most important of all, prevent the area from becoming a nuisance and inconvenience to the public.
Mohammad Yazid
Check corridors of HDB flats to ensure fire safety
Dec 17, 2007
IN SEPTEMBER, I wrote to The Straits Times Forum page about errant shopkeepers who obstruct walkways and urged government agencies to step up efforts to ensure that all items beyond the permitted area are cleared by shopkeepers.
More importantly, I called for checks on common corridors of flats by the Housing Board and town councils so that action can be taken against irresponsible flat dwellers who strew plants, clothes and shoe racks across the slightly more than 2m-wide walkways.
A few weeks later, another reader sent similar feedback to The Sunday Times. There was no response at all to both letters.
Now, we have the Dover Road fire which broke out on the lift landing of an HDB block, because of discarded furniture. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
While the focus is on why the fire occurred, and the repairs that need to be done to restore residents' lives to normalcy, we should also look at preventive measures that need to be put in place.
Does the HDB act only when there are fatalities, as in the Hougang Avenue 8 minimart blaze on Sept 13 when two people died?
No doubt its subsequent steps were commendable, but there are still many irresponsible flat owners. I recently saw a wooden bench the size of a sofa sitting along one corridor.
Common walkways are important access routes for residents to move freely in times of emergency. Even in normal circumstances, you need to manoeuvre dexterously to move along the corridor and reach the stairwell.
I strongly urge government agencies to intensify their checks - including common corridors of flats - and issue stern warnings to irresponsible flat owners.
Guidelines should also be in place on what is allowed in common corridors, and what is not.
Hopefully, there will be no more such fire incidents in HDB blocks.
Larry Keh Chun Woon
IN SEPTEMBER, I wrote to The Straits Times Forum page about errant shopkeepers who obstruct walkways and urged government agencies to step up efforts to ensure that all items beyond the permitted area are cleared by shopkeepers.
More importantly, I called for checks on common corridors of flats by the Housing Board and town councils so that action can be taken against irresponsible flat dwellers who strew plants, clothes and shoe racks across the slightly more than 2m-wide walkways.
A few weeks later, another reader sent similar feedback to The Sunday Times. There was no response at all to both letters.
Now, we have the Dover Road fire which broke out on the lift landing of an HDB block, because of discarded furniture. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
While the focus is on why the fire occurred, and the repairs that need to be done to restore residents' lives to normalcy, we should also look at preventive measures that need to be put in place.
Does the HDB act only when there are fatalities, as in the Hougang Avenue 8 minimart blaze on Sept 13 when two people died?
No doubt its subsequent steps were commendable, but there are still many irresponsible flat owners. I recently saw a wooden bench the size of a sofa sitting along one corridor.
Common walkways are important access routes for residents to move freely in times of emergency. Even in normal circumstances, you need to manoeuvre dexterously to move along the corridor and reach the stairwell.
I strongly urge government agencies to intensify their checks - including common corridors of flats - and issue stern warnings to irresponsible flat owners.
Guidelines should also be in place on what is allowed in common corridors, and what is not.
Hopefully, there will be no more such fire incidents in HDB blocks.
Larry Keh Chun Woon
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Let trash these messy fire hazards
Tuesday • December 11, 2007
Letter from Lee Heng Kee
My weekly Sunday evening visits to Block 67, Circuit Road are always greeted by trash scattered along the corridor leading to the lift lobby. This is a serious fire hazard and the potential danger is heightened by those who smoke at the nearby benches.
With the recent Hougang fire and the Dover Road fire on Dec 9, surely the town council is not waiting for another fire before taking necessary action.
If the trash cannot be collected more frequently, can the bin be relocated away from the lift lobby? Public education programmes should also be conducted frequently to highlight the hazards of dumping rubbish along the corridors or walkways.
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