Macao has limited land resources, and the structure and layout of many high-rise buildings have the characteristics of multi-use, such as commercial, residential, industrial, warehouse and other purposes. Given that the residential environment is densely populated and the streets are narrow, and the public mostly live in multi-storey high-rise buildings, the Government has been paying close attention to the evacuation measures in case of fire because the walkways of residential buildings are also the evacuation routes in case of fire.
Before the new law came into effect, the Fire Services Department conducted fire safety checks and publicity work. Subsequently, it was found that many units were involved in placing sundries and shoe cabinets in public corridors, while sundries were also placed on public staircases, rooftops and entrances and exits of evacuation routes, and some fire escape doors were not kept closed or damaged. Newspapers have also reported that when a fire occurred in a building, the evacuation channel was filled with debris, resulting in the fire personnel unable to rescue in time. It can be seen that the obstruction of the evacuation channel is not only a fire safety hazard, but also a problem of personal safety of residents
Therefore, the government has made detailed regulations on the safe passage, exit and evacuation of various buildings. In Article 75 of the latest Technical Regulations on Fire Safety in Buildings and Venues (No. 39/2022), the minimum evacuation exits and routes are defined:
(1) The number and size of separate evacuation exits and routes shall depend on the expected capacity, the distance travelled by the fire, the use and the class of the building, and shall comply with the minimum specified in Table 12.
(2) For floors above the basement or ground floor, at least 50% of the evacuation exits shall be located on accessible external walls; Or, when no external wall is accessible, on an external wall connected to a public road.
Under the new law, some buildings (with the highest score in Class A, regardless of their use) must have safety posts and employ fire safety officers trained by the Fire Service, which includes the general obligation to maintain safety conditions for the building on an ongoing basis: inspection of the appropriate fire protection equipment on each floor, the availability of evacuation routes and the development of escape/evacuation plans. In case of fire, fire extinguishing equipment is available at the scene to fight the fire, and residents can be helped to evacuate the scene in an orderly manner.
As the general agent of Heshan Hengbao Fireproof Glass Factory Co., LTD., we provide all kinds of door and window products with UM IDQ fireproof certificate for Macao. In order to better understand the "Legal Regime for Fire Safety in Buildings and Venues", I participated in the "Fire Safety Officer Training Course" recently. For more information on fire protection products, please call our hotline at 853 28424213 or our email address at mat@zenwaymo.com.
Article reference source:
- https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/2022/33/regadm39_cn.asp
- https://www.gov.mo/zh-hant/news/922719/
- https://www.gov.mo/zh-hant/news/922719/
Picture reference source:
- Macau Daily News