Fire Safety Standards at Coffee Shops in HDB Blocks
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Sylvia Lim’s inquiry into whether fire occurrences at HDB coffee shops are an increasing concern and how fire safety standards are monitored at these establishments. Coordinating Minister and Minister K Shanmugam responded that annual fires remained stable between 15 and 19 cases from 2021 to 2025, accounting for less than 1% of total incidents. He stated that the Singapore Civil Defence Force conducts scheduled and unannounced inspections to ensure Fire Code compliance, supplementing annual fire safety checks and licensing conditions managed by the Housing and Development Board. These measures are currently deemed adequate, but the SCDF continues to monitor trends with the National Environment Agency and other stakeholders to implement intervention measures when necessary. The Minister concluded by emphasizing that stall operators must remain vigilant and uphold good fire safety practices to mitigate risks and maintain the safety of the community.
Transcript
76 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Government assesses that the occurrence of fires at coffee shops and eating houses within HDB blocks is an area of increasing concern; and (b) how does the Singapore Civil Defence Force monitor fire safety standards at such establishments.
Mr K Shanmugam: Under the Fire Code, food and beverage establishments, including coffee shops, are subject to a comprehensive suite of requirements to minimise fire risk. These requirements include measures to reduce the risk of a fire from cooking-related activities as well as to ensure the safety of people in the coffee shop in the event of a fire.
To ensure Fire Code compliance, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also conducts enforcement checks on food and beverage establishments. These include both scheduled visits and unannounced inspections based on public feedback. These inspections complement the annual fire safety checks conducted at coffee shops by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), as well as other regulations imposed as part of the HDB's licensing conditions.
These fire safety measures and enforcement checks remain adequate. The number of fires at coffee shops in HDB blocks has remained largely constant between 2021 and 2025, ranging from 15 to 19 cases annually. This translates to under 1% of the total fire incidents per annum. Nonetheless, SCDF will continue to monitor fire trends involving HDB coffee shops and work with related agencies, such as HDB and the National Environment Agency, to take the appropriate intervention measures if required.
Nevertheless, it is important that we remain vigilant and mitigate fire risks as best we can. We urge all stall operators to uphold good fire safety practices and do their part to keep our community safe.