HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has issued a directive to strengthen fire prevention and fighting and fire safety checks in residential areas.

The PM requested ministries, sectors and local administrations accelerate dissemination of fire prevention knowledge, skills and rescue measures to enhance people’s awareness of fire prevention and safety skills.

The People’s Committee of provinces and cities were asked to arrange firefighting forces, prepare fire prevention measures at places at high risk of catching fire and inspect and handle fire safety violations.

Firefighting drills should be conducted at all residential areas every year with the participation of fire-fighting forces, he said.

The Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Construction to work with the Ministry of Public Security to review regulations on fire prevention and fighting for housing.

The Ministry of Public Security was urged to enhance inspections of areas at high risk of catching fire and tighten the management of explosive items and businesses trading these substances.

From 2013 to 2018, 15,027 fire and explosion incidents were recorded in the country, killing 513 people and injuring 1,237 others, and causing total loss of VNĐ7.84 trillion and destroying more than 6,000 hectares of forest.

In the first nine months of 2018 alone, there were about 3,000 fire and explosion incidents, killing 73 people, injuring 163 others and causing a loss of  VNĐ1.59 trillion.

About half of cases occur in residential areas and households with a tubular structure, causing great damage to people and property.

Experts blamed the issue on low awareness on fire safety of local residents who often live and do business in narrow rooms. To protect their houses, some households even install iron cages on their balconies which make rescue work more difficult during fires.

The lack of necessary firefighting equipment and survival skills were also problems, they said.— VNS