Many businesses, especially those operating in industrial parks in the city, are facing difficulties in terms of fire prevention and fighting regulations and inspection. Enterprises expect competent authorities to soon amend and supplement regulations to help them remove difficulties and stabilise their production and business.

Enterprises expect the competent authorities to soon amend and supplement regulations on fire prevention and fighting to remove their current difficulties. Workers are seen at the BUMHAN Electric Cable and System One Member Co., Ltd. Photo: M.Q

Struggling business

According to the new fire prevention and fighting regulations, the office auxiliary work covering an area of 273m2 at the BUMHAN Electric Cable and System Company Limited in the Hoa Khanh Industrial Park (IP), Lien Chieu District, built before 2008, must have new exit stairs and renovate existing stairs. In addition, the company has to install fire hydrants at ancillary works located 50m away from the production area by drilling 20cm of thick concrete yard in the factory premises to lay pipelines, which is very costly.

Ms. Duong Thi Thu Van, the CEO of the company, said that the renovation to ensure the requirements of fire prevention and fighting and rescue according to the new regulations is necessary. However, under the current difficult economic conditions, it is possible to consider creating a reasonable roadmap for businesses to be financially prepared. The enterprise proposes to replace it with a plan to increase the number of fire extinguishers with a larger quantity than prescribed or to seek guidance on a more favourable plan.

With the characteristics of candle production like Sinaran Viet Nam Co., Ltd located in the Da Nang Industrial Park, Son Tra District, the installation of a water-based fire suppression system is not suitable because it uses water to fight fires for petroleum products such as wax can generate flame explosion phenomenon, not to mention the material also deteriorates when get soaked in water.

For fire prevention, the company has installed powder fire extinguishing systems in all production plants, fully equipped with firefighting equipment, fire warning, emergency exit doors, rearranged goods to ensure a safe distance among them; launched the rehearsal of fire prevention and fighting work according to regulations and instructions released by the competent authorities.

Operating in the Da Nang Industrial Park, Da Nang Huu Nghi Trading - Production Joint Stock Company was asked to increase the solution of installing Sprinklers automatic fire fighting system for its garment factories and materials and finished product warehouses with a cost of billions of VND. At the same time, the existing automatic fire extinguishing balls must be removed.

Apart from the companies that have built for a long time, those that have been licensed to operate since 2020 like the Da Nang branch of the Automatic Electrical Technology Engineering Co., Ltd. East Sea (ESTEC) located in the Da Nang Hi-tech Park, Hoa Vang District, also faces difficulties under the new fire protection regulations.

Mr. Pham Duy An, the company’s Deputy Director, said that ESTEC is implementing the construction of fire prevention system for the newly-installed office area in the factory, but the national technical regulation QCVN 06:2022/BXD released by the Ministry of Construction has some technical requirements that are too high compared to reality, leading to many difficulties in application and making investment costs for fire protection systems go up many times.

A scene is observed at the BUMHAN Electric Cable and System One Member Co., Ltd. Photo: M.Q

Hope to solve the problem soon

In addition to the manufacturing enterprises, the investors of the industrial parks now face some difficulties with the new regulations on fire prevention and fighting.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Lam, the Deputy General Director of Massda Land Company Limited, the investor of the Da Nang IP, informed that it was the city’s first industrial park that was built in 1994 and put into operation in 1997. The IP has invested in a water supply system, basic tools for fire prevention and fighting, and established a part-time fire prevention team.

Procuring more fire engines, establishing a specialised firefighting team and assessing and accepting fire protection infrastructure for a project that has been in operation for nearly 30 years is very difficult for the company, and this also incurs significant costs. 

Currently, the Da Nang IP has a policy of transforming itself into a central urban area, so there are many other difficulties in terms of planning. Therefore, the company wishes to maintain the current fire prevention and fighting work until an official decision on this large-scale project is made.

In addition to the installation of a new fire protection system, many projects are being invested in accordance with the provisions of the old document, but a new document has been issued, greatly affecting the appraisal process and disrupting the business. business, causing the construction to not be put into use, workers losing their jobs, and economic loss.

Mr. Thai Ngoc Trung, Deputy Head of the Authority of Hi-Tech Parks and Industrial Zones (IZs) in Da Nang, said that the reality shows that the economic situation at home and abroad is difficult. Businesses are operating in IPs, and across the city as a whole, have been under financial pressure, trying to maintain production “keep their heads above water” during this financially-difficult period. Compliance with regulations on fire prevention and fighting to ensure the safety and lives of people is necessary.

However, when tightening regulations on fire prevention and fighting or promulgating new standards and regulations, agencies should have a comprehensive calculation on the establishment applying the normative document at what point in time, in tandem with setting up a suitable roadmap for enterprises with existing works to supplement fire prevention and fighting plans, as well as creating favourable conditions for their production and business activities.

Reporting by MAI QUE - Translating by A.THU