Movable fire load survey for old residential highrise buildings in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper describes how the fire safety of existing highrise residential buildings in Hong Kong that are over thirty-five years old is a major concern. These buildings have high occupancies but they have far fewer fire safety provisions than those specified in current fire codes. In order to understand the potential fire risk behind the old existing buildings, fire load density should be surveyed first. A sample of eight old highrise buildings was selected and surveyed. Both fixed and movable fire loads were reviewed. Fire load density was found to be high because of the excess storage of domestic fuel and movable fire load in cage houses is a concern. Four of the eight surveyed buildings have fire load density over the upper limit specified in the current code and the fire risks associated with storing too many combustibles were also studied. With such a high content of combustibles, it is more likely that big accidental fires will happen. Finally, occupant loading in each example building was also surveyed. This would provide important information for working out the evacuation strategy.