The existing Fire Safety Regulations have been in use for 25 years. As it is difficult to keep pace with the rapid social and economic development in Macao, the SAR Government has enacted the "Legal Regime for Fire Safety in Buildings and Venues" Bill, which proposes to extend the scope of application of the system from general buildings to specific venues; The supervision authority of the fire department has been added to the right to punish; Offenders may bear criminal liability, and administrative offences will be classified into three levels, with fines ranging from $3,000 to $800,000. The bill will be sent to the Legislative Council for consideration.

    The Executive Council completed the discussion of the bill "Legal Regime for Fire Safety in Buildings and Venues". In consultation with the public sector and trade bodies, and with reference to the relevant legal systems of the Mainland of China and other countries or regions, the Government has proposed to extend the scope of application in the Bill, which applies to specific venues as well as general buildings. The functions and powers of the FSD have been reformulated, and the supervision and punishment powers of the FSD have been added, so as to resolve the lack of statutory powers of the FSD in the past.

    The bill also proposes to introduce Under the "self-protection obligation" measure, the owner shall bear the responsibility and obligation to maintain the fire safety conditions. The Bill also provides for special provisions to fill gaps in fire safety technical specifications and performance-based design. For example, when approving permits or plans, the authorities may refer to international or national recommendations and standard rules to fill the gaps in the technical specifications for fire safety in Macau. In the approval process, the authority may also rely on professional advice from qualified third parties. The Bill also provides for a qualification system for fire safety, such as registration of technicians.

    The Bill proposes to strengthen preventive and legal monitoring measures, and the Secretary for Land, Works and Transport and the Director of Fire Services can take corresponding preventive and monitoring measures, such as prohibiting non-compliant works and seizing illegally stored articles. The Bill improves the punishment system by adding criminal liability and creating the offence of disobedience, dividing administrative offences into three levels: very serious, serious and minor. Offenders can be fined from Patacas 3,000 to 200,000, and if they are legal persons, the fine can be raised to Patacas 800,000.

----- From Macau Daily News November 07, 2020