Fire Safety Safeguards for Severe Hoarding in High-Rise Public Housing

Question:

Ms Diana Pang Li Yen: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what fire safety safeguards are in place for cases of severe hoarding in high-rise public housing; (b) whether such cases pose heightened evacuation or firefighting risks to neighbouring residents; and (c) whether clear statutory thresholds exist or will be introduced for compulsory clearance by the authorities or the town council where fire or public safety risks arise.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. All Housing and Development Board ( HDB ) units are designed and built in accordance with the prevailing Fire Code. Each unit functions as a fire compartment to limit the spread of fire. Fire escape routes and exit staircases in HDB buildings are also designed to be well-ventilated to disperse smo ke for safe evacuation.

2. Dealing with hoarding behaviour is a complex matter, and the management of severe hoarding cases is coordinated through the inter-agency Hoarding Management Core Group and the New Environment Action Team, or NEAT. Agencies partner with community groups to support the hoarders and their families in decluttering.

3. While there have been on average fewer than six fires annually involving hoarding over the past five years, the key fire safety risk to both the occupants and for neighbouring units is the obstruction of escape routes during emergencies. When hoarding ext ends into the common areas of HDB estates, Town Councils are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s ( SCDF’s ) fire safety requirements, and they work closely with the SCDF to rectify fire hazards in common areas, such a s blocked corridors. If fire hazards are found during enforcement checks, SCDF will take action against the relevant Town Council.

4. Within the unit, the occupant generally has a right to store what household items he or she wishes. Where the threshold for public health and safety risks has not been crossed, agencies need to obtain the cooperation of the hoarder to agree to the declutt ering process, and they do this with the assistance of community support groups. However, if the hoarding is of such severity that it impedes the escape of the occupant in the event of a fire, SCDF may direct the occupant to clear and maintain a path of es cape within the unit for safety reasons. Failure to comply is an offence which carries a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both. As a measure of last resort, the Director-General of the Community Relations Unit can apply to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal (CDRT) to declutter the hoarded unit if an earlier CDRT order to the unit to declutter has not been complied with and there is public interest to do so.

5. The Government will continue to monitor the fire situation in relation to hoarding behaviour and introduce further legislative or regulatory levers if necessary.