PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – The Bureau of Fire Protection’s Regional Office 4-B (BFPRO 4-B) listed 182 fire-safety violations penalized by Republic Act 9514, otherwise known as the Fire Code of the Philippines-2008.

The violations listed by the new statute are commonly found in the means of egress, features of fire protection, building service equipment, places of assembly, and occupancies such as educational, health care, detention and correctional, residential, mercantile, business, industrial and storage, and miscellaneous structures.

Means of egress include doors, stairs, horizontal exits, ramps, escalators and moving walks, fire escapes, exit markings, and emergency evacuation plan.

Features of fire protection consists of automatic sprinkler system and other extinguishing equipments, standpipes, segregation and protection of hazards, smoke partitions, fire doors, fire detection alarms and communication system, smoke partition, and protection of combustible concealed spaces.

Thousands of buildings and other structures in the country might face closure with the full enforcement of the revised Fire Code which gives top Bureau of Fire Protection officials, particularly the fire chief, the power to close structures declared as fire hazards.

BFPRO 4-B director Senior Supt. Norman V. Pinion said that RA 9514 gives BFP officials the authority to issue orders to close buildings or structures declared as fire hazards even if these have clearances, permits or certificates issued by local authorities.

BFPRO4B had issued a notice of enforcement of closure order to Puerto Princesa City Airport due to its non-compliance with fire safety standards. This resulted in the payment by the airport of P66,000 in administrative fines.