09/12/2025

TUESDAY | DEC 9, 2025

3 Aged apartments, high-rises face Hong Kong-style fire risks o Preventive maintenance, including routine checks and timely replacements, needed to avoid tragedy, says expert

‘Weak oversight exposes older buildings’ PETALING JAYA: Fire safety in Malaysia’s older high-rise buildings is facing an unseen crisis. While new towers meet strict codes, older flats face rising risks from neglected maintenance and unsafe renovations. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia property economics and finance expert Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Najib Razali said the dangers begin as buildings age. “Fire-safety engineering recognises that buildings are living systems in which defences weaken without lifecycle maintenance. “Many older flats, especially the low and medium-cost schemes built before the widespread enforcement of the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (UBBL) now show signs of systemic deterioration. “Malfunctioning alarms, corroded hydrants, compromised compartment walls, outdated electrical systems and more. These aren’t design flaws – they’re deep maintenance failures.” Muhammad Najib said renovations often worsen the risk. “Unsafe renovation practices frequently slip through regulatory cracks. Unit owners often modify interiors in ways that undermine compartmentation – a key principle that slows fire and smoke spread. “Removing fire-rated doors, creating wall openings, enclosing balconies, sealing ventilation paths or installing fixed grilles – they all compromise safety. “External works are also hazardous. Repainting and waterproofing projects sometimes use combustible scaffolding nets or insulation without verified fire performance. “Because neither UBBL nor the Fire Services Act provides detailed oversight for temporary works, these hazards often fall outside formal supervision. “This mirrors what happened in Hong Kong, where substandard scaffolding and insulation intensified a fire despite documentation.” Malaysia currently lacks mandatory on-site verification or independent testing for such works. “Retrofits are rarely enforced unless major renovations occur and most apartments aren’t covered by annual fire certificate requirements. Oversight of temporary works is minimal, inspection frequency is inconsistent and residents are often unaware of the risks.” Muhammad Najib said future-proofing Malaysia’s high-rises requires shifting from one-off construction compliance to continuous risk management. He highlighted lessons from abroad: “Singapore has carried out large-scale upgrades for older Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates, strengthening fire doors, risers and common-area systems. South Korea mandates sprinklers and enhanced smoke-control in older towers, while Japan requires approvals for any changes affecting escape routes or structural fire resistance.” – By Harith Kamal

list until a fire occurs.” He stressed that residents and management alike must be proactive. “Building owners and management should be held to high standards, with legal teeth and public accountability. Residents should be empowered and encouraged to voice concerns. If an escape door is locked or a fire extinguisher is missing, it must be reported and fixed immediately.” He added that Malaysia can learn from regional neighbors such as Singapore, where buildings are required to have fire safety managers and regular preventive inspections. “Malaysia has avoided some of the worst high-rise fire disasters seen elsewhere – with concerted effort, we can keep it that way.” – By Harith Kamal residents of ageing flats and high rises are living with an invisible gamble: sprinklers, alarms and fire doors – often neglected and unchecked – may or may not function when they are needed most, as the tragic Hong Kong fire painfully demonstrated. “If you never budget to replace that old pump or rewire that alarm panel, it will eventually fail. By then, it might be too late or tragically, a deadly fire may occur,” he warned. Proactive maintenance, he added, is not just a safety issue – it’s an economic one. “Well-maintained buildings protect residents and preserve property values. Poor maintenance endangers lives and destroys property value. Nobody wants to live in a ‘fire trap’ once word gets out,” he said, adding that public awareness plays a crucial role. “Fire drills and safety training are seldom practised and residents rarely pressure management about fire equipment until an emergency occurs. In countries with established maintenance cultures, fire systems are treated as life critical infrastructure, with regular checks and detailed logs.” Encouragingly, organisations such as the Institution of Engineers and the Fire and Rescue Department have been advocating for preventive maintenance. “Planned preventive maintenance (PPM) reports are slowly becoming more common, but compliance is minimal. Many building owners only meet bare legal requirements, like renewing fire certificates annually, without additional drills or audits.” Mohd Mazhar stressed the urgent need for change. “To truly protect lives, we must shift from a ‘fix after failure’ approach to a ‘fix before failure’ philosophy. Routine inspection of smoke detectors, timely replacement of old fire pumps and regular testing of emergency lighting and exits should become second nature for building management.” Until that shift happens,

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

HOW COUNTRIES UPGRADE FIRE SAFETY IN OLDER BUILDINGS

problems are caught before they become life-threatening emergencies,” Mohd Mazhar said. However, he said enforcement remains a challenge. “Existing laws provide mechanisms to sanction negligence, but inspections are often reactive rather than preventive. Audits of older public housing flats frequently reveal dead alarm panels, non-functional sprinklers and blocked exits – yet legal action is rare until a disaster occurs.” Mohd Mazhar added that legal reform alone is not enough, as cultural and budgetary factors also play a role. “Many public housing blocks and low-cost apartments operate with very limited budgets. Fire safety systems, being out of sight and hopefully never needed, often slip down the priority PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s high rise residents may be living with overlooked structural risks. The recent deadly fire in Hong Kong, which engulfed a residential tower and claimed multiple lives, has thrown a harsh spotlight on the hidden risks in high-rise buildings – risks that many experts warn are mirrored in Malaysia. Years of reactive maintenance and chronic underfunding have left fire safety systems in many buildings vulnerable, failing quietly until disaster strikes. Malaysian Association of Facility Management (MAFM) vice president Dr Mohd Mazhar Mohd Marzuki said the problem stems from how building management is approached. “In many apartments and condominiums, maintenance only happens after a problem becomes obvious. Preventive measures – like regular inspections, testing and timely replacements are too often seen as an unnecessary expense rather than an essential investment.” He said this mindset is especially common in older flats and low-cost high-rises, where limited budgets and technical expertise push fire systems down the priority list. “Leaky pipes, broken lifts and other day-to-day complaints usually take precedence, while alarms, sprinklers and fire pumps are left unchecked. Vandalism can make matters worse – fire extinguishers are stolen and equipment is damaged in some areas.” Mohd Mazhar cited a 2024 facilities surveyor’s report, which found that older buildings frequently under-utilise sinking funds and delay major repairs, compounding risks.

SINGAPORE

Large-scale upgrades for older estates Strengthened fire doors Improved risers Upgraded common-area fire systems Lar old Str Imp Upg sys

SOUTH KOREA

Mandatory sprinklers in older high-rise towers Enhanced smoke-control requirements Man high Enh requ

JAPAN

Requires formal approvals for any changes affecting: - Escape routes - Structural fire resistance Req any - Es - Str

THESUN GRAPHICS BY HARITH KAMAL

Specialist calls for tougher residential-tower safeguards PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s building standards are strong on paper, yet weak enforcement and poor upkeep may expose certain residential towers to avoidable safety issues. regulations largely lose force once the building is occupied. mandating that management corporations maintain common property, does not require preventive inspections or system upgrades.

“It remains possible and indeed, common, for a residential building to go years with inoperative fire systems and face no penalties until a fire or ad-hoc inspection exposes the issue,” Mohd Mazhar said. Under current rules, high-risk premises such as hospitals, schools and very high-rise residential towers must obtain annual fire certificates from the Fire and Rescue Department. “During inspections, any malfunctioning system must be rectified before certification is renewed. However, older or smaller buildings, including many low-cost flats, often fall outside this requirement.” Mohd Mazhar highlighted that the Strata Management Act 2013, while

“None of the current laws give a holistic mandate for preventive maintenance of fire systems with regular verification.” He said upcoming legal reforms could help close the gaps. “Fire and Rescue Department officials have suggested extending legal responsibility for fire safety to contractors, building owners and property managers. “Proposed measures include appointing a ‘fire competent person’ for each high-rise to regularly verify that alarms, pumps, sprinklers and exit routes are operational. Having a qualified fire safety manager ensures systems are routinely checked and

The deadly blaze in Hong Kong is a stark warning of what could happen if fire safety systems fail. Malaysian Association of Facility Management (MAFM) vice president Dr Mohd Mazhar Mohd Marzuki said while laws such as the Uniform Building By Laws 1984 (UBBL), Fire Services Act 1988 and Strata Management Act 2013 set robust design standards, there is no comprehensive legal mandate for ongoing preventive maintenance. “The UBBL and Fire Services Act set stringent requirements for alarms, sprinklers and exit routes during construction, but these