The Fire Prevention and Control Police Department has officially commented on the new fire safety regulations.

Representatives from the Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) stated that recently, many organizations and businesses, especially those with foreign investment, have raised difficulties and obstacles in implementing legal regulations on fire prevention and fighting, particularly regarding buildings using fire-retardant paint.

To quickly resolve the issues, the Fire Prevention and Control Police Department met and directly discussed with several embassies and business associations (South Korea, Japan, etc.) that were facing difficulties and obstacles.

A number of karaoke bars in Hanoi have been forced to close due to failing to meet fire safety regulations.

Through discussions, the Fire Prevention and Control Police Department found that the main reasons for the aforementioned difficulties were that the consulting unit and the investor had not promptly grasped the legal regulations on fire prevention and control, and selected contractors with limited capabilities, leading to non-compliance with regulations.

The Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department has issued specific guidelines.

For projects and constructions that have already been granted a Certificate of Fire-Resistant Paint Inspection in accordance with Decree 79/2014/ND-CP (before January 10, 2021), the results of that inspection will continue to be used for fire safety acceptance testing of the project or construction.

For projects and constructions that prepare design documents and undergo design review after Decree 136/2020/ND-CP comes into effect (from January 10, 2021), fire-resistant design documents for the load-bearing structure of the building must be included. These documents serve as the basis for selecting fire protection solutions for the structure according to design regulations and standards, or for compiling design data as prescribed.

Many karaoke venues are struggling with renovations to meet the new fire safety regulations.

A representative from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department gave an example, stating that the documentation must be detailed, including what type of paint, mortar, fire-resistant cladding, or other materials will be used, and how the work will be done.

The investor submits the fire-resistant design documents, the proposed fire protection solutions for the building structure, and other documents as stipulated in Decree 136/2020/ND-CP to the competent Fire Prevention and Control Police agency for fire safety design review. Based on the results of the tested and verified structural samples, the contractor organizes the construction of fire-resistant coatings for the load-bearing structure of the building according to the design documents and conducts fire safety acceptance testing as prescribed.

For specific cases, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department requests that the investor provide detailed fire safety design documents for the project so that all parties can find appropriate solutions in accordance with fire safety regulations, and bring the project into use as soon as possible.

The Fire Prevention and Control Police Team of Hai Ba Trung District (Hanoi) conducted an inspection at the karaoke bar.

The Fire Prevention and Control Police Department added that there have recently been comments that the Ministry of Construction has issued 3 fire safety regulations in just 18 months, causing difficulties for people in applying them.

Regarding this issue, a representative from the Fire Prevention and Control Police Department explained that on April 6, 2020, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular No. 01/2020/TT-BXD promulgating the National Technical Standard QCVN 06:2020/BXD on Fire Safety for Buildings and Structures, replacing QCVN 06:2010/BXD, and effective from July 1, 2020.

After a period of implementation, some aspects were found to be inconsistent with practical realities. Therefore, on May 19, 2021, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular No. 02/2021/TT-BXD promulgating the National Technical Standard QCVN 06:2021/BXD (replacing QCVN 06:2020/BXD).

On November 30, 2022, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BXD promulgating QCVN 06:2022/BXD (replacing QCVN 06:2020/BXD).

The content of QCVN 06:2022/BXD includes many points aimed at resolving difficult-to-implement fire safety regulations that businesses are still facing.

First, reduce the fire resistance limit requirements for fire curtains, glass partitions, and glass doors.

"The old regulations required the use of fire-resistant curtains with an EI 60 rating; glass doors and partitions had to meet the EI fire resistance limit, but the new regulations allow fire-resistant curtains to meet EI 60, 30, and 15 ratings; glass doors and partitions only require a fire resistance limit of EW, which is easier to achieve and more suitable for glass products," a representative from the Fire Prevention and Control Police Department explained.

Many businesses have expressed confusion regarding the new fire safety regulations. Photo: Ho Giap

Secondly, the new regulations reduce the fire resistance rating requirements for buildings, especially manufacturing buildings.

Specifically, according to the old regulations, for industrial buildings of production class C, a single-story building allowed a maximum fire compartment area of ​​5,200m2; a two-story building allowed a maximum fire compartment area of ​​3,500m2.²Furthermore, the new regulations allow single-story buildings to have fire compartments up to 25,000 m².²The two-story building has a fire compartment of up to 10,400 m².² And it only requires fire resistance ratings III and IV, corresponding to a fire resistance limit of 45 minutes or 15 minutes for load-bearing structures, making it easy to implement fire protection measures for these structures.

Thirdly, the new regulations reduce the fire resistance limits for non-load-bearing exterior walls. Previously, all buildings were required to have exterior (glass) walls with a specific fire resistance limit, causing difficulties in construction and increasing investment costs.

Currently, QCVN 06:2022/BXD has specific regulations, significantly reducing the number of cases requiring fire resistance limits. Furthermore, when buildings already meet fire safety distance requirements, fire resistance limits are not required for these structures.

Fourth, reduce the regulations on fire safety distance requirements. For buildings that do not meet the fire safety distance requirements, many alternative fire prevention solutions can be chosen, such as using fire-resistant walls, fire-resistant structures, and equipping them with additional automatic fire extinguishing systems.

Fifth, add regulations to allow for certain cases where only one escape exit (staircase) needs to be designed, or where the escape staircase is left open.

Sixth, reduce the requirements for outdoor fire hydrant systems in mountainous and rural areas, as well as for small-scale buildings.