Lee keeps an eye out for defective fire hydrants in Taman Desa. This chamber hydrant can easily be overlooked due to the missing H pillar. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
EVERY morning, Taman Desa resident Alex Lee sets out for his jog and keeps an eye out for fire hydrants.
While others focus on their fitness goals, Lee makes it a habit to check whether the hydrants along his route are visible, accessible and in working condition.
Almost every day, he finds a problem. Some hydrants are buried under overgrown bushes, others are blocked by parked cars and a few are covered in rubbish or rusting from neglect.
“People do not realise how important these hydrants are until a fire breaks out.
“If firefighters cannot find them or the hydrants don’t work, lives and property are at risk.
“It may seem like a small thing, but keeping hydrants visible and in working condition can make a big difference in an emergency,” said Lee.
Concerned about fire safety and emergency preparedness, residents’ associations and community groups across Kuala Lumpur are now taking proactive measures to ensure fire hydrants in their neighbourhoods remain visible, accessible and functional.
Their efforts come amid growing concerns over delayed response times during fires because of blocked or poorly maintained hydrants.
Alvin often finds hydrants hidden by illegal structures, parked cars and overgrown vegetation.
Seputeh Residents Representative Council (MPPWP) Zone 6 chairman Alvin T. Ariaratnam said, “I see this all the time and it is frustrating.
“Hydrants are often hidden, poorly maintained or completely inaccessible.
“It is our responsibility to make sure they remain visible and usable for emergency responders.”
Taman Desa Residents Association chairman Wong Chan Choy agrees.
“We cannot afford to take fire safety for granted. In an emergency, every second counts and if firefighters struggle to locate or access a hydrant, lives and property could be at risk.
“That is why we have taken the initiative to identify, mark and regularly check hydrants in our neighbourhood.
“We have also engaged with the fire department to ensure these hydrants are in working order, because a hydrant is useless if it has no water or has low pressure or is blocked by parked cars,” said Wong.
In a StarMetro exclusive report titled “Access Denied”, Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department director senior assistant fire commissioner Hassan Asa’ari Omar highlighted that illegal encroachments on public roads, side lanes and back lanes were significantly hampering emergency response efforts.
StarMetro report on Feb 24.
Despite the department’s strict requirement of maintaining a 6m clearance for fire engines and rescue vehicles, the city fire chief said many areas had obstructions that affected fire rescue missions.
The Star had previously reported that the government was considering reviewing the Fire Services Act 1988 to introduce harsher penalties for those who obstructed or misused fire hydrants.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming stated that under the current law, offenders faced a compound of between RM100 and RM500.
However, he acknowledged that this compound was insufficient to act as a deterrent, adding that the government planned to review and strengthen the law.
For the record, obstructing or concealing a fire hydrant is an offence under Fire Services Act 1988.
While the law allows for fines of up to RM5,000 and imprisonment of up to three years, in practice, compounds for such offences range from RM100 to RM500.
