Trust in fire services’ competency

The Office of the Secretary for Security stated in a reply to a lawmaker’s inquiry that Macau’s Fire Services has enough competencies to handle the amount of accidents in the city. It stressed that the government has always emphasized the importance of firefighting and of the rescue forces, and has therefore constantly reviewed and improved facilities and personnel. The office said Macau’s fire alerts have remained at a number of 1,100 annually for the past ten years despite the expansion of urban areas and of the population, which suggests that the authorities’ promotion of fire prevention has generated positive effects. It added that the fire alerts reported in the first four months of this year saw a 9 percent reduction year-on-year.

Penalty for breaching repair order to be raised

Authorities intend to raise the penalty for building owners’ breaching of repair orders, once an amendment to the legal regime regulating urban architectures is approved. The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) said in a reply to a lawmaker’s inquiry that it expected the draft revision to be finished by the end of the year and then to enter into the legislation progress. The new clauses will strengthen legal assistance to governmental staff in order to effectively push for the repair of buildings. In addition, the bureau said it will offer maintenance guidelines to the titleholders of buildings so that the small property owners can repair their buildings’ damaged area without waiting for the DSSOPT’s examination report.