FIRE SAFETY MANAGER REQUIREMENT
Learn about the Building Requiring A
Fire Safety Manager & Company Emergency Response Team
APPOINTMENT & TERMINATION OF FSM
Owners of new premises have to appoint a FSM within 90 days of obtaining a certificate of statutory completion or a temporary occupation permit. A new FSM must be appointed within 14 days if a FSM’s appointment is terminated. The appointment and termination of FSM can be done via the eFSM portal.
Fire Certificate
Under Section 35 of the Fire Safety Act 1993, the owner or occupier of any public building such as offices, hospitals, shopping complexes, industrial buildings and private residential buildings that fall within the following criteria is required to apply and obtain a Fire Certificate (FC).
Criteria
The FC Scheme ensures the proper maintenance and good working condition of fire safety systems. These systems should be tested in accordance with the relevant codes of practice.
The Section 35 of the Fire Safety Act 1993 contains the following definitions:
- Public Building1 (except for a residential building) that has an occupant load of more than 200 persons, other than
- A serviced apartment with external corridors that comply with the requirements specified in Chapter 2 of the Fire Code;
- Astandalone carpark that complies with the requirements specified in Chapter 2 of the Fire Code; and
- A hawker centre or wet market that is not fully enclosed on all sides.
- An industrial building that
- Has an occupant load of 1,000 persons or more;
- Has a floor area or site area of 5,000 square metres or more; or
- Has a habitable height of more than 24 metres.
- A foreign dormitory that
- Has an occupant load of 1,000 persons or more;
- Has a floor area or site area of 5,000 square metres or more; or
- Has a habitable height of more than 24 metres.
- A Hospital
- A residential building that
- Has a habitable height of more than 24 metres;
- Is installed with
- An automatic fire alarm system;
- A sprinkler system; or
- A wet riser system; and
- Is not used or intended to be used as an HDB flat
- An engineered timber building (except a building that is used or intended to be used as an HDB flat) that is installed with any of the following:
- An automatic fire alarm system;
- An automatic sprinkler system;
- An automatic smoke control system;
- Any other automatic fire detection or suppression system intended to detect or control a fire automatically.
- A fully automated mechanized car park that is installed with a fire protection system and meets any of the following conditions:
- The total floor area of the car parking decks in the fully automated mechanized car park is more than 200 square metres;
- The cubical extent of the fully automated mechanized car park (calculated in the manner prescribed in Chapter 9 of the Fire Code) is more than 1,400 cubic metres;
- The parking height of the fully automated mechanized car park above ground (measured in the manner prescribed in Chapter 9 of the Fire Code) is more than 10 metres;
- Where any part of the parking levels is below ground, the total parking height of the fully automated mechanized car park (measured in the manner prescribed in Chapter 9 of the Fire Code) is more than 14 metres;
- There are more than 2 parking levels below ground.
1“Public Building” means a building to which the public or a section of the public has access as of right, or by virtue of express or implied permission with or without payment of a fee.
General duties of fire safety manager
- ensure at all times that fire safety requirements contained in the Emergency Response Plan are complied with;
- supervise the maintenance of all fire safety works in the premises;
- ensure at all times that the occupant load of any part of any building does not exceed the capacity prescribed under the Fire Code;
- conduct daily checks within the premises and remove or cause to be removed any fire hazard that is found within the premises;
- prepare and execute the Emergency Response Plan for the premises and distribute the Emergency Response Plan to the occupants of the premises;
- conduct fire drills for the occupants of the premises at least twice in every calendar year or on such occasion as may be directed by the Commissioner
- ensure that all occupants are familiar with the means of escape located within the premises;
- prepare fire safety guidebooks for the occupants of the premises;
- train the occupants in the premises in first aid, firefighting and evacuation in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
- co-ordinate and supervise the occupants within the premises in firefighting and in evacuation in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
- supervise the operation of the Fire Command Centre in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
- conduct at least 2 Table-Top Exercises within the premises each year and to evaluate, together with the Fire Safety Committee, the effectiveness of the Arson Prevention Plan and the Emergency Response Plan for those premises;
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