Hanoi to crack down on fire safety violations

This is part of bold measures adopted by Hanoi’s authorities to deal with rampant fire safety violations in construction in the city.

Many buildings in Hanoi that are considered luxury apartment blocks have problems with fire safety issues. Photo for illustration: bizlive.vn

The fire fighting department was also told to issue fines or suspend the operation of high-rise buildings if necessary. The department will propose to the local government to intervene by force if investors fail to comply with fire safety regulations.

Investors who fail to comply or deliberately violate the fire safety regulations will have their names publicized and residents will be advised not to move into buildings without proper fire protection.

The Department of Construction was asked to ensure dire safety issues are met before issuing permits for construction and certificates of approval and occupancy. Accordingly, no construction permit will be issued if the project designs have not been approved by the Fire Prevention and Fighting Department; construction projects won’t be allowed to operate if they fail fire safety tests.

The city’s Department of Justice was authorized to formulate procedures in order to enforce the law in case of prolonged violations of fire prevention regulations.

By May 31, 79 apartment buildings in Hanoi were found to be lacking in terms of fire safety standards, after the Hanoi Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department conducted inspections at 8000 high-rise buildings in the city.

Of the buildings found to violate fire safety standards, 78 did not have fire safety certificates while one did not undergo a safety test.

According to the department, many buildings that are considered luxury apartment blocks have problems with fire safety issues.

Ha Dong district has the highest number of such buildings with 21, followed by Bac Tu Liem, Thanh Xuan and Hoang Mai districts with 10, 9, 8 respectively.

Source: VNA