Nine-storey Kuching apartment urged to fix faulty emergency alarm system after Bomba finds safety weaknesses

Ong (centre) together with Bomba officers at the apartment.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, March 5:The developer and management of a nine-storey apartment in Kuching have been urged to immediately rectify its emergency warning system after checks by the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) uncovered significant weaknesses, including malfunctioning alarms that could not be heard on all floors, putting residents’ safety at risk.

The issue surfaced following a complaint lodged by the Sarawak Consumers Association (PPS) to the apartment management and Bomba Batu Lintang.

According to PPS president Dr Wynson Ong, the emergency alarm system at the building had previously sounded continuously from 11pm to 9am due to a system fault.

“However, the more alarming discovery was that the sound of the alarm could only be clearly heard on the ground floor, while residents on the upper levels, including inside their own units, could barely hear it,” he said in a statement today.

Further inspection by firefighters found that the alarm sound was no longer clearly audible when checks were conducted up to the sixth floor of the nine-storey building.

The inspection also revealed that lighting along the staircase was not functioning, posing an additional safety risk should an actual emergency occur.

“Bomba is currently in the process of obtaining the building’s complete floor plan from the developer for further examination and follow-up action,” Ong added.

To improve safety, Bomba highlighted several key requirements that need to be addressed. These include installing emergency alarm bells on every floor to ensure warning sounds can be clearly heard by all residents, providing “break the glass” emergency activation buttons on each level, and ensuring the apartment has a clearly designated assembly point for residents during evacuations.

Ong also highlighted that a brief survey with residents from the ground floor to the top floor found that many were unaware that the alarm had been sounding on the night of the incident because they could not hear it.

PPS warned that such a failure in the emergency warning system represents a serious safety lapse that could potentially lead to tragedy in the event of an actual fire.

The association also reminded developers and building management bodies that safety systems such as emergency alarms, staircase lighting and evacuation facilities are not merely technical requirements but essential protections that can save lives.

“As Sarawak continues to see rapid development of high-rise residential buildings, fire safety standards must never be compromised and urged residents to immediately report any faulty safety systems to management or relevant authorities,” Ong said. — DayakDaily