Fire certs mandatory for all govt buildings from 2019

A hospital and the Komtar building in George Town are said to have no fire certificates. (Bernama pic)

JOHOR BAHRU: The housing and local government ministry will require all government buildings to have a fire certificate (FC) from next year.

Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said this was being done following revelations that several government buildings still did not have these certificate.

“So now, the Fire and Rescue Department has gone to check on government buildings that do not have it.

“They have also been given some time to get this FC,” she told reporters after visiting a private company in Ulu Tiram here today.

She was commenting on a news report yesterday saying 27 premises in Penang, including a hospital in George Town and the Tun Abdul Razak Complex (Komtar), did not have an FC.

Meanwhile, during her visit to the Johor Fire and Rescue Department quarters in Kempas, Zuraida said she would be proposing for an increase in the critical allowance for firemen, in line with the challenges and risks they faced in the line of duty.

“It’s time for us to consider increasing this critical allowance as the work of a fireman is dangerous.

“In fact, they also carry out tasks which are at times not within their scope of duties,” she said, adding the ministry would further discuss the matter with the Public Service Department.

In July, Zuraida said the ministry would be seeking RM35 million for the critical allowance, which if approved, would benefit about 13,000 firemen, with each expected to receive an extra RM250 per month. - FMT