Fire Dept D-G: Have extinguishers and smoke detectors at home

Safety steps: The Fire and Rescue Department is encouraging house owners to install smoke detectors.

PUTRAJAYA: Households around the country should be equipped with at least a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors as most of the 107 deaths due to fire last year occurred at home.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said 57% of fires at home were caused by electrical short circuits or the wrong usage of electrical items.

He said at present, there were no laws forcing households to install fire safety equipment but he hoped people would invest in such items.

Asked if the department would push for such a law, Wan said it would not be practical to enforce such a regulation.

“We will push for awareness during our campaigns and seminars nationwide. I think the awareness of owning fire extinguishers is increasing as more people have these nowadays.

“New homes also come fixed with these,” he said in his speech during the department’s annual gathering at its headquarters here on Thursday.

Wan also said the number of deaths due to fire had dropped by 30% last year, from 153 in 2015 to 107. The total value of items and property destroyed in fires, he said, had similarly dipped to RM2.9bil last year from RM4.4bil previously.

The department, he said, managed to save items and property worth RM35.8bil last year, adding that over half of the 92,307 calls it received were for fires.