Measures to Reduce Number of Fire and Gas Leakage Cases in Hawker and Food Centres

5 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what preventive measures are there to reduce the number of fire and gas leakage cases in hawker and food centres; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider installing gas, smoke or fire detectors in these centres.

The Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment): Fire safety and gas supply in our hawker centres are subject to the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) prevailing regulations and Fire Code requirements. Hawker centres are installed with fire safety provisions such as manual fire alarms, heat/smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and fire hose reels.

SCDF’s Fire Code requires liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, cylinders within the allowable capacity, to be stored at ground level outside the hawker centre, at a well-ventilated area where any potential gas leakage can be safely and rapidly dispersed. To help prevent gas leakage and minimise fire risk, the LPG manifold systems have to be designed by a Qualified Person and approved by SCDF. Regular safety checks and pressure leak tests are also required. Similarly, the installation and use of piped Town Gas is regulated by the Energy Market Authority, or EMA, and regular checks and maintenance must be carried out by a Licensed Gas Worker (LGW).

NEA and SCDF have also been issuing regular advisories to stallholders on how to exercise personal responsibility in preventing stall fires. We urge all stallholders to stay vigilant and do their part by maintaining good fire safety practices.

Mr Speaker: Ms Pereira.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. We have come across cases where fires had broken out in hawkers or market stalls that were closed. Would the Ministry consider installing emergency unlocking mechanisms in future upgrading programmes, or maybe even master key arrangements to be given to suitable persons, like the hawker committee, so that others can access stalls on fire, even if they are closed?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: I thank the Member for her suggestion. NEA will review the suggestion, considering the purpose as well as practicality of such a system as suggested by the Member, especially during emergencies.

In the event of a stall fire incident, stallholders should consider their safety first and, hence, they ought to contact the SCDF who are trained and equipped to deal with such emergencies. And as a first line of defence, we want to urge all stallholders to focus on fire prevention, that is, staying vigilant and maintaining good fire safety practices.

In fact, over the last three years, between 2019 and 2021, there was a total of 31 stall fire incidents at hawker centres, and the majority of these – 22 or about 71% – were due to unattended cooking, and four were due to either faulty appliances or power supply overloading.

So, indeed, as the authorities, the agencies and the partners, the supplier of the LPG gas or town gas, we will do our part to ensure that the infrastructure at the hawker centres is safe and sound, want to urge the stallholders to exercise personal responsibility in preventing stall fires. So, for instance, not to leave cooking unattended, to make sure there is no power supply overload, check for faulty appliances. If your stove does not light up, to ventilate that area, to switch off all appliances at the end of the day and, of course, to clean your stove and kitchen exhaust regularly, so that it does not accumulate grease, and reduce fire risk.