Owners want freedom of choice on fire system

I REFER to the letter “At odds with Fire Department” (The Star, May 2) by S. M. Mohamed Idris, president of the Consumers Association of Penang. I would like to add my views to the issue by bringing in the Uniform Building By-Law 1984 (UBBL 1984) and Fire Services Act 1988.

Section 228(2) of the UBBL 1984 states that “All sprinkler systems shall be electrically connected to the nearest fire station to provide immediate and automatic relay of the alarm when activated”; while Section 239 says “Every large premises or building exceeding 30.5 metres in height shall be provided with a command and control centre located on the designated floor and shall contain a panel to monitor the public address, fire brigade communication, sprinkler, waterflow detectors, fire detection and alarm systems and with a direct telephone connection to the appropriate fire station by-passing the switchboard.”