Reviewing the Building Before Someone Else Does
Most non-compliance findings in commercial buildings are not design failures. They are the accumulated result of small operational changes: a tenant fit-out that altered a compartment wall, a store room that migrated into a corridor, a fire door propped open for convenience during deliveries. Each seemed minor at the time, and together they form the bulk of what an audit picks up. Building owners approaching fire code compliance in Singapore get considerably better outcomes by reviewing these five areas periodically rather than responding to findings after the fact.
1. Means of Escape and Whether Routes Remain as Designed
Escape routes are approved on the basis of specific widths, travel distances, and discharge points. Over years of occupancy, these get eroded: storage appears in corridors, a staircase lobby becomes a break area, a tenant installs a partition that lengthens a travel path.
Walk every escape route from the furthest occupied point to the final exit, as an occupant would, checking that widths are unobstructed, doors open in the direction of travel, and the route discharges to a safe place. Anything stored in a protected staircase or lobby should be removed rather than noted.
2. Fire Compartmentation and Service Penetrations
Compartmentation is the element most frequently compromised and least frequently inspected, because the damage sits above ceilings and behind risers. Every time a contractor runs a new cable, pipe, or duct through a fire-rated wall or slab, that penetration must be properly fire-stopped.
Opening ceiling tiles at a sample of locations, particularly near risers and above tenanted units that have been renovated, often reveals unsealed penetrations from works completed years earlier. A fire engineer in Singapore reviewing a building for the first time will typically look here early, because it is where the gap between as-built drawings and current reality is widest, and because the remedial work is straightforward once the openings are identified.
3. Active Fire Protection Systems and Maintenance Records
Sprinklers, hose reels, alarms, detection, emergency lighting, and smoke control systems all require scheduled maintenance by competent parties, and the records matter as much as the condition. Ask whether every system has a current maintenance record, whether any defects raised at the last service remain outstanding, and whether the documentation is accessible rather than held by a contractor.
Systems modified during tenant fit-outs deserve particular attention, since sprinkler head relocations and detector removals are sometimes carried out without the base building system being reassessed.
4. Tenant Fit-Outs and Alterations Carried Out Since Approval
Every fit-out has the potential to alter compartmentation, obstruct escape routes, change occupancy loads, or modify fire protection systems. Where a building has seen several tenancy changes, the cumulative effect can be significant.
Maintaining a record of alterations, and requiring tenants to submit fit-out proposals for review before works begin, prevents most of this. Retrospective review is harder but still worth doing where no such process has been in place.
5. Operational Readiness and Staff Competency
Compliance is not solely physical. Fire safety manager appointments where required, evacuation plans, drill records, and staff familiarity with procedures all form part of what an audit examines. A building with sound systems and no evidence of drills or a current evacuation plan still presents a gap.
Before You Decide on Remedial Priorities
- Every escape route walked end to end and checked for obstruction and door operation
- A sample of ceiling voids and riser penetrations opened and inspected for fire-stopping
- Maintenance records located and confirmed current for every active system
- All tenant alterations since the last review identified and assessed
- Evacuation plans, drill records, and appointment documentation confirmed in place
- Outstanding defects from previous inspections checked for closure
Sequencing Remedial Work Sensibly
A review of this kind typically produces a list longer than the budget available, which makes prioritisation the next question. Items affecting means of escape and compartmentation generally take precedence, since these directly affect occupant safety during an incident, followed by active system defects and then documentation gaps. Addressing items in that order, with a documented programme showing what is being done and when, also demonstrates good faith if an audit occurs partway through the works, which is a materially better position than presenting an unstructured list of known issues.
Contact SHEVS IFT Consultants to arrange a compliance review of your building and prioritise remedial works ahead of your next audit.