The lack of a level playing field among fire protection system suppliers and the absence of a central regulatory authority could cost the country dear, some industry operators fear.
Moreover, the situation was leading to some clients willing to compromise on certain safety aspects to save costs, like reducing water sprinklers or fire detectors and opting for inferior equipment, they warn.
The warning came in the wake for recent calls made by engineers and architects following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London, which left at least 80 dead.
Chamber of Engineers president Norman Zammit questioned the existing level of fire safety regulations enforcement while urging the government to introduce standard rules across the board.
The appeal received the full backing of the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers.
Though fire safety aspects are taken into consideration when reviewing development applications, and the Civil Protection Department can decide to impose certain conditions, there is no specific legislation regulating this.
This newspaper tried to get a reaction from the Planning Parliamentary Secretariat but, at the time of writing, no replies were received to questions sent last week, despite various reminders.
Meanwhile, representatives of established firms were contacted to get their views on the matter.
“For many years, successive government administrations have been slow to address the lack of enforcement within a culture where a false sense of security prevails,” one operator said.
Ultimately, we are dealing with people’s lives
It emerged there have been instances when private operators missed out on lucrative contracts because clients deemed the cost of installing fire safety equipment too high.
In such situations, a worried spokesman for one of the main companies in the business said they would opt for a cheaper set-up offered by another supplier, knowing they would still get the building certified by certain third parties.
Apart from the obvious, like reducing the number of sprinklers, there are other means by which cost-cutting measures can jeopardise building safety.
“Choosing a less powerful pump to feed the sprinklers in a high-rise building is one such example because, in case of a fire in the upper floors there would not be enough pressure to deliver the necessary volume of water,” one supplier pointed out.
“A fire event is a crisis that calls for fast and forceful response.
“Unlike an irrigation scenario, where there is plenty of time to activate the system slowly, a fire emergency calls for rapid and immediate engagement of the system. It’s critical that every component in a fire protection system be durable and reliable enough to stand up to the kind of action a fire situation requires,” the supplier warned.
“Simply buying a fire pump does not make a system functional as it will only do so if it is well designed. A fire system without a design element will result in a plumbing system and not a life safety and property fire protection system.”
Sometimes, even choosing the wrong type of clips to install the fire cable (a fire-resistant electric wire) could prove costly because, in case of an accident, the cable could get unstuck, fall in the open flame and the fire alarm fail to set off.
“There are instances in which the wrong set-up was the result of lack of expertise and not necessarily an attempt to save costs for the client,” the supplier added.
Looking ahead, the operators contacted by this newspaper felt that unless the government took the matter seriously and increased the number of technical expertise in field, the status quo would prevail.
“We need a strong regulator that would crack down on the ‘cowboys’ in our own industry and ascertain that the conditions in the fire security certificates are adhered to in the long term,” an operator remarked.
This newspaper tried to find which local authority is responsible for handling complaints by the general public on situations like, say, a blocked fire access in a public place.
Although official channels were not forthcoming, suppliers said this was one of the major issues because nobody seemed to take ownership of the sector.
“While in the entertainment sector it often is the Malta Tourism Authority, in other cases the reference points are the Civil Protection Department or the Planning Authority,” the suppliers said.
“This further reinforces the need to have a single reference point because, ultimately, we are dealing with people’s lives,” they quickly added.