Fire safety coordination mechanism launched following public inquiry
TThe Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) will introduce a new system this month to manage building safety complaints following a public inquiry into the fatal Wang Fuk Court blaze.
The South China Morning Post scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351019/confusion-over-government-agencies-roles-fire-oversight-tai-po-probe-revealsthat this mechanism aims to eliminate confusion regarding departmental jurisdictions by ensuring cases are referred to the most appropriate government unit.
This action follows an investigation into a 43-hour inferno at the Tai Po residential complex that killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents on 26 November last year.
Michael Yung Kam-hung, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department, told an independent committee that his department lacked the construction expertise to handle complaints about flammable building materials.
Yung said: “We do not know how it would affect the project’s progress if we arbitrarily decide that certain materials cannot be used.”
The witness stated that legal action was not taken during the renovation of the estate because the department could not identify which materials were integral to the project.
Regulatory gaps identified during Wang Fuk Court fire investigation
The committee legal team noted that the disaster involved several human factors including the use of polyfoam boards to seal windows and substandard scaffolding mesh.
Lead counsel Victor Dawes SC argued that a serious regulatory vacuum existed because multiple agencies denied responsibility for supervising temporary structures and flammable materials used during renovations.
While fire officials claimed such items fell outside their remit, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) also stated it was not responsible for the temporary arrangements.
The FSD confirmed that future referrals contested by other departments will be escalated to senior management for cross-departmental coordination to prevent complaints from being ignored.
Yung accepted that the previous lack of clarity was not ideal and confirmed that the department would no longer expect residents to identify which authority should receive their reports.
Regarding the maintenance of fire water tanks at the site, senior station officer Ng Wing-kwong said internal guidelines did not require officers to verify the severity of reported leaks.
He noted that he could not provide an explanation for why officers were not required to double-check defects before allowing the continued shutdown of fire hosepipes.