On fire safety, Hong Kong needs a mindset change

Hong Kong simply has not developed the right mindset with respect to fire safety. Unless prompt, effective action is taken, we could be looking at more tragedies like the Wang Fuk Court disaster in Tai Po.The numbers are stark and overwhelming, yet the context from which they have been derived is even more frightening. In January and February this year, the Fire Services Department inspected some 1,500 residential and mixed-use buildings planned at least 39 years ago. The exercise resulted in 2,500 fire hazard abatement notices being issued and 75 prosecutions with 1,200 summonses.Some buildings had skipped routine annual maintenance checks. Specifically, 53 buildings had fire alarms with safety issues, and another 53 had defects in hosepipe and reel systems. No fewer than 18 had both.