Malfunction of the hydrant network and blocked outputs for evacuation The most common problems in apartment buildings

Stolen fire hoses, malfunction of the hydrant network, obstructed evacuation outputs with furniture or enclosed by tenants…. are part of the malfunctions reported by residential building managers after receiving information from the municipal inspection services to provide information on the necessary fire fighting equipment in residential buildings.

After the deadline for submitting the data by the managers or communities of tenants, which according to the data received by five municipalities in Skopje, this month expires, inspectors are expected to control residential buildings in order to check that the data received corresponds to the factual situation. Then, each municipality will have to submit transcripts of the controls carried out to ZELS and they will then be given to the public. A deadline for residential buildings will be given a deadline to correct deficiencies and irregularities if they are found.

Lack of about 40 inspectors

Such controls that began on the initiative of ZELS following a fire in Kocani that killed 59 people and injured about 200, also raised the question of the lack of communal inspectors that each municipality should have. That is why the way of checking differs from municipality to municipality. Inspectors are coming out somewhere to determine the factual situation, and in those municipalities that do not have sufficient capacities, this is done through the house councils and the managers who have to provide information to the municipality whether there is and what is the correctness of the hydrant network, whether hydrants possess valves and hydrant, whether the facilities possess, the apartment building.

ZELS President and Mayor of the Municipality of Kisela Voda, Orce Georgievski, in a statement to the media revealed that about 40 more inspectors should be employed so that it can be treated accordingly. Controls, Georgievski said, must be done everywhere and all municipalities will help each other, and in the next period they will try to employ an appropriate inspector in each municipality.

MIA contacted the larger Skopje municipalities such as Kisela Voda, Aerodrom, Karposh, Centar and Chair, where it received information that controls were ongoing.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Aerodrom, Dejan Miteski, says that the Department of Inspection has obliged all residential managers and communities of tenants to scan the situation with hydrants, fire extinguishers and entrances and exit of the evacuation, after which they are given five days.

The deadline for delivery of the data in this municipality expired on March 28, after which the inspector is expected to go out on the ground this week and determine whether the data corresponds to the actual situation.

– The housing inspector obliged all residential managers and communities of tenants to scan the situation with hydrants, fire extinguishers, approaches, ie entrances and exit evacuation from buildings, whether or not there are obstacles, which gave all residential managers to submit a deadline. That deadline expires by March 28, after which after receiving data from residential managers and communities of tenants, the inspector will go out to the field to inspect the residential data – Miteski told MIA.

The municipality of Kisela Voda says that the territory of this municipality is intensively conducting inspection supervision in residential buildings, which are in accordance with the Law on Housing and the Rulebook on Norms and Housing Standards in Residential Buildings.

– In relation to the registered irregularities, the managers of the apartment buildings, ie the presidents of the owners’ community, are contacted, demanding that they convene a gathering of owners who will introduce the owners to the indicated irregularities and the authorized housing inspector is given a deadline. Upon completion of that deadline, residential buildings will be subject to additional inspection to determine whether they have agreed with the legal regulations – according to the Municipality of Kisela Voda.

The Municipality of Centar informs that the Inspection Sector is conducting an action for the prevention and verification of fire protection funds, where all communities of owners and managers of residential and residential-business buildings on the territory of the municipality need to be in writing within seven days, starting from 24th in March, and whether they are in a written Hydrants have valves and hydrant hoses, whether facilities possess fire extinguishers and whether the fire stairs of the apartment building are passable.

– As part of the work of the ongoing and investment maintenance of apartment buildings, owners’ communities or manager it is necessary to undertake activities for
Maintenance, repair and replacement of hydrants, hydrant hoses and other hydrant parts, procurement of PP appliances and providing the functionality of the fire stairs in the building – say the Municipality of Centar.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Karpos, Stevco Jakimovski in a statement to MIA emphasizes that the interest of the citizens is great and that such control was done in 2022.

– We started with controls before ZELS made any decision, and we did such control in 2022. The turnout after apartment buildings is remarkable. We need to control almost 1,500 entrances, and we have over 300 entrances so far, but the interest is great for the citizens themselves – says Jakimovski.

In a statement to the media, Jakimovski informed last week that in his municipality only in one building the situation is responsible in accordance with the law.

– Karpos municipality has 820 buildings and about 1500 entrances. So far, 330 have responded and 259 have called our phones for additional instructions. Has a 41 fire extinguisher. In 18 apartments there are also fire extinguishers, there are CO2 appliances for extinguishing the fire from electrical installation, there is a special fire extinguishing system and panic lights, etc. Only one building in Karposh is properly, as the law requires, that is Adora’s building. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for others – said Jakimovski.

In the Municipality of Cair, the safety controls of residential buildings have begun, including checking hydrating networks and fire extinguishers. According to the municipality, data from the managers of the house councils are collected at this stage.

– The authorized housing inspector is in communication with the managers of the house councils and the necessary data are collected within a certain period – say from the Municipality of Cair.

Originally fixed array called guts around the equipment in apartment buildings

From the inspection checked so far in these five municipalities in Skopje, most of the irregularities have been found in terms of hydrant network defects, lack of fire extinguishers, impeded entrances and evacuation outputs… With more detailed information on how many residential buildings are missing.

– Citizens have complaints and already provide information to us as an institution. For the most part the complaints refer to stolen fire hoses, malfunction of the hydrant network, ie defects and impeded outputs for evacuated furniture, with things, somewhere and enclosed by tenants. These are the three most common problems we face or get information from the owners of the apartment – says the Mayor of the Municipality of Aerodrom.

In the municipality of Kisela Voda, most of the irregularities are related to the lack of fire extinguishers and a non -functioning hydrating network.

– This irregularity is usually found in older residential buildings. This is not the case with the new residential buildings where there is almost no irregularities regarding the issue – say the municipality.

In the municipality of Karposh most problems are the lack of PPs and Gindrant Networks.

The Municipality of Centar did not point out what was missing in residential buildings of fire protection equipment. They emphasize that from the action and additional field inspection, the data will be handed over to the relevant services for those residential buildings where irregularities will be identified that will not be removed within a certain period.

And the Municipality of Cair does not indicate whether irregularities have been identified so far, because, as they say, inspection controls are still going on. Upon completion of the analysis and the information received from the situation on the ground, detailed information on the identified situation will be published, including irregularities where they will be found. If violations of the Housing Law are identified, according to the municipality, appropriate sanctions will follow.