Bill on emergency escape fire hoods passed on first reading

A BILL that required emergency escape fire hoods in high rise buildings was passed on first reading at the Lower House in Manila last February 7.

House Bill 7121 otherwise known as “An act mandating the provision of smoke hoods for emergency use in all high-rise building structures”, was sponsored by Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa of Cebu City’s south district.

An emergency smoke hood is a protective device that covers the head and neck. It is equipped with an air filter that allows the user to breathe without inhaling toxic fumes.

The bill was drafted following the recent fire incidents in the shopping malls of Davao and Cebu City. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he supports the bill and considers it as a step towards regulating high-rise buildings in the city in case of fire.

“That’s a step in the right direction. We will be going to go a little bit deeper because I’m calling a forum and reinviting experts and we have to do an analysis of what we have to do,” the Mayor said.

The forum, the mayor said, will take place two weeks from now. In previous reports, Mayor Osmeña pronounced his plans to ban the construction of high rise buildings in the Cebu City as it would be difficult to rescue residents in tall buildings in case of fire.

After the Ayala fire last January, the Mayor said the city will be looking into other ways to ensure the safety of the people since the building code is not sufficient.

“I’m having some people sort it out. We have different kinds of experts. This is a learning process man gyud. Very clearly a building code is not good enough,” Mayor Osmeña said.

Section 2 of the proposed bill states that, “All building structures regardless of occupancy classification, shall make available emergency escape hoods inconspicuous areas around the structure. The required number of such shall be determined based on the building’s projected/expected density of human traffic. Compliance shall be requisite to the issuance of an occupancy permit”.

The bill defines high-rise buildings as having six or more storeys or any building higher than 19.0 meters or 62 feet tall. The Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) and the Department of Local and Interior Government shall enforce compliance on building owners.