A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments in Hong Kong W. K. CHOW* AND GIGI C. H. LUI Department of Building Services Engineering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom, Kowloon Hong Kong, China (Received February 23, 2) (Revised vember 27, 2) ABSTRACT: A 2-point fire safety ranking system is proposed for assessing the fire safety provisions for existing karaoke establishments in Hong Kong. The deviations of the existing karaoke establishments from the new codes are investigated. Attributes are grouped into four areas as the key parameters for local fire safety requirements, passive building design, active fire protection systems and fire safety management. From the results of two surveys carried out in May 998 and December 999, fire safety levels of 45 karaokes are rated. It is observed that the scores are relatively low, and fire safety provisions must be enhanced. A long-term plan is to carry out in-depth studies on karaoke fires. An immediate action is to improve the fire safety management which should play an important role in keeping a karaoke safe. INTRODUCTION MANY PEOPLE IN Hong Kong (now the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region HKSAR), enjoy spending their leisure time in karaokes. Karaokes are observed to be crowded with people during weekends and public holidays even under economic depression. Economic situations *Authorto whom correspondence should beaddressed. E-mail: bewkchow@polyu.edu.hk 6 JOURNAL OF FIRE SCIENCES, VOL. 9 MARCH/APRIL 2 53-849//2 6 5 $./ DOI:.6/QQ-8VU2-6AY-LK86 2 Technomic Publishing Co., Inc.
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments 7 are improving after the announcement of the Second Executive Summary by the Chief Executive and tighter control on the stock markets by the SAR government. The consuming power is observed to be reduced, but hourly charges are still profitable. Until recent years, fire safety aspects in karaokes were not of so much concern as in other service industries. Consequent to a big arson fire in a karaoke [], suggestions are made on defining Karaoke Establishments and licenses are to be issued to those satisfying various requirements including fire safety. A consultation paper [2] was distributed to the general public for comments before implementing as codes [3]. Upon smooth unification to the China Mainland, the SAR government is very open and keen on seeking advice from professionals and academics for working out good regulations through such consultation papers. The special features of karaokes are that they are partitioned into many boxes, with long corridors, and are usually crowded with people (otherwise, business closed!). The term karaoke establishments is defined as premises that allow the business of karaoke activity, in which a person or a group, chant, intone, sing or vocalise in association with or in company with any music or other sound, or any visual image or other information, to be carried on. In that consultation paper [2,3], a very long list of fire safety requirements was described with due reference to those fire codes by the Fire Services Department (FSD) [4] and Buildings Department (BD) (e.g., References [5 7]). However, there is neither evidence that the requirements can really enhance safety in case of a fire, nor that the proposals are supported by research and development [8]. A Karaoke Requirement Concern Group was established to oversee how these are implemented. A general response is that fire safety should be enhanced so that the public would have more confidence to have entertainment in a safe karaoke. However, they do not want to see the targets being over-set because there were no big accidental karaoke fires in the past [9]. Also, it has not been demonstrated that it is necessary to include all the specified improvements in order to ensure fire safety. Therefore, research works on karaoke fires must be carried out before making a decision to set up such regulations. Surveying the current fire safety provisions on karaokes should be the first step of study. To quantify the results surveyed, a fire safety ranking system would be helpful in evaluating the fire safety level of existing karaokes. PROPOSED FIRE SAFETY RANKING SYSTEM A fire safety ranking system is proposed to assess the safety level of
8 W. K. CHOW AND GIGI C. H. LUI existing karaokes. Basically, this is a scoring system following the new local codes [2 7]. For new karaokes, all the requirements should be satisfied, whether the owners like it or not. But for existing karaokes opened years ago, they might not comply to the new regulations on the fire safety provisions. Such a fire safety ranking system is good for seeing how far existing karaokes deviate from the new rules. This is similar to a ranking method [] on fire risk analysis. As described by Watts [], procedures that work but do not have a formal underlying theory are called heuristics. Attributes, which are also called parameters, elements, factors and variables, identifying the ingredients of fire safety are listed for providing means to assess the goal achievements. Multi-attribute evaluation is applied to develop simplified but robust models for heuristic decision making. A review on this method for local existing buildings was reported [2] without demonstrating practical examples. The proposed system is a 2-point system with attributes selected based on professional judgment with reference to the local requirements on fire safety taken care of by the BD and FSD (e.g., References [4 7]). It is divided into four parts, in comparison to only two parts on building characteristics and fire services provisions used earlier for old highrise buildings [3]: Part : Key Parameters Appearing in Local Fire Safety Requirements (5 Points) There are two important parameters related to fire safety in the local codes: fire load density and occupant load factor. Fire load (e.g., References [4,5]) is the total amount of heat released by burning up all the combustible items. The fire load density FLD (in MJm 2 ) is determined by dividing the fire load by the floor area of the building. The code was set up under the assumption that if the FLD is zero, then there will be no fire. Also, FLD is related to fire resistance and the severity following empirical equations [6] in the literature. The upper limit in the local codes is,35 MJm 2, which is partly related to fire resistance period (FRP) [7], and partly deduced from past fire-fighting experience on life safety. Building occupants are not supposed to store combustibles higher than this value. If anybody is caught doing so, a ticket will be issued by the FSD. The occupant load factor OLF as stated in the Life Safety Code Handbook [8] is a density factor assuming the presence of at least one person for each specified unit of area. The occupant load is the total number of persons that might occupy a building or portion thereof at any one time, i.e., it is determined as the maximum number of people anticipated to
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments 9 occupy the building rooms or spaces at any given time, under all probable situations. This part of assessment is based on the FLD and OLF, the two key parameters appearing in the local fire codes. FLD of,35 MJm 2 [4 7] is a critical value, and so reference was made to it. The OLF is specified under three conditions C, C2 and C3. C area occupied per customer, m 2 per person, in entertainment rooms, corridors, lounges and dining areas C2 area occupied per customer, m 2 per person, in dancing and reception areas C3 area occupied per staff, m 2 per person, in kitchen and food preparation areas Part 2: Passive Building Design (5 Points) This is based on the building where the karaoke is located. The fire resisting construction (FRC) [6], means of escape [7] and dead-ends inside the karaokes are also evaluated by referring to the specified building regulations [5 7]. BD is the government department responsible for the control of this part. The studies of the locations of karaokes inside the buildings, whether they are at basements of at levels high above ground, are essential because these will affect the means of escape for occupants and means of access for firemen to the scene. Other key points are on the number of exits following the new buildings requirement [5 7], new corridor width of.2 m, presence of corridor dead-ends and provision of FRC with suitable FRP. Most of the buildings in Hong Kong are highrise buildings. The critical height of 5 m came from the maximum height that a turntable ladder in a fire engine can reach. Part 3: Active Systems (5 Points) This is based on the provision of fire services installations satisfying the FSD requirements [4]. Another important point is whether the systems are maintained properly. Part 4: Fire Safety Management (5 Points) Fire safety management [9,2] in a karaoke is very important. In a karaoke, each room is well communicated with the central control room
W. K. CHOW AND GIGI C. H. LUI for arranging songs and music. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems are installed for security. If an intelligent fire detection system is designed (i.e., a system that can detect fire, instruct the occupants where to evacuate and report to the FSD); a Fire Safety Officer with good training in fire control (more than just using extinguishers) is appointed; and a good fire safety management scheme (FSMS) is worked out beforehand; then a karaoke should be at least of the same safety level as an ordinary restaurant. This applies to those karaokes with the so-called dead-end corridors. This part is on assessing the operation and management of the karaoke establishments. Appointing a Fire Safety Officer with good training is crucial. Further, all staff are expected to know how to use fire extinguishers (FE). SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SYSTEM A detailed breakdown of each part is shown in Table. te that some points would be deducted if the local fire safety requirements are not satisfied, such as failure to maintain the fire hydrant and hose reel (FH/HR) systems properly. A fire-safe karaoke is expected to score higher points with the acceptable passing grade determined by the authorities such as the FSD and the BD. te that equal marks are allocated to the four parts because new karaokes should satisfy all those fire requirements. The proposed fire safety ranking system should not be taken as a trading-off exercise for new karaokes. There is also a National Fire Protection Association Fire Safety Evaluation System (NFPA-FSES) for business occupancy [2] that is an equivalency system that uses numerical values to analyse the fire safety design. A comparison of it to this fire safety ranking system was reported elsewhere [22]. SURVEY RESULTS With strong support from the industry, two surveys on fire safety in karaokes were conducted in May 998 and December 999 [23]. Over questionnaires were distributed in the survey to those likely to be classified as karaoke establishments with very good responses. After careful processing, questionnaires for 4 karaokes were accepted. Details in each karaoke were checked together with the management personnel. However, as there are some inconsistencies in the returned data, another survey in 43 karaokes was carried out. Because five new karaokes opened after May 998, and two karaokes surveyed the first
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments Table. Proposed fire safety ranking system for karaoke establishments. Area Safety Parameter Criterion Points Parameters appearing in local fire codes Passive design FLD Movable items OLF Location in building Evacuation route Corridor width Dead-end situation Provision of FRC for internal partitions and decorations FLD < 35/4 MJm 2 35/4 MJm 2 FLD < 35/2 MJm 2 35/2 MJm 2 FLD < 35*3/4 MJm 2 35*3/4 MJm 2 FLD < 35 MJm 2 FLD 35 MJm 2 C:OLF>2m 2 /customer C2: OLF >.5 m 2 /customer C3:OLF>9m 2 /staff C:m 2 /customer < OLF 2m 2 /customer C2:.75 m 2 /customer < OLF.5 m 2 /customer C3: 4.5 m 2 /staff < OLF 9m 2 /staff C:OLF=m 2 /customer C2: OLF =.75 m 2 /customer C3: OLF = 4.5 m 2 /staff C:OLF<m 2 /customer C2: OLF <.75 m 2 /customer C3: OLF < 4.5 m 2 /staff Levels above ground (height 5 m) Otherwise Number of exits > new BD s requirement Number of exits = new BD s requirement Number of exits < new BD s requirement Corridor width.2 m.5 m corridor width <.2 m Corridor width <.5 m FRP 2 hours hour FRP < 2 hours FRP < hour 3 2 2 (continued)
2 W. K. CHOW AND GIGI C. H. LUI Table. (continued). Area Safety Parameter Criterion Points Active system Fire safety management FH/HR system (must be provided) Fire alarm (FA) system Fire detection (FD) system Sprinkler system FE (must be provided) Smoke control (SC) system Emergency lighting Exit signs Trained Fire Safety Officer appointed Regular fire drills Staff trained on their roles in fires and on using fire extinguishers properly Video showing action to be taken before singing Provision of Emergency Mode such as evacuation plans to help customers escape in good discipline/signals to be broadcast through audio/visual (A/V) advisory system in fires Provided in good condition Otherwise Provided in good condition Otherwise Provided in good condition Otherwise Provided in good condition Otherwise Provided in good condition Otherwise Provided in good condition Otherwise Total: 2 time were closed in the second survey, only 43 karaoke establishments were studied. It is observed that there are some improvements on the fire safety management. The data for the two surveys are compiled with the details reported [23]. The results on fire safety ranking of karaokes assessed are shown in Table 2. The total point scored for the karaokes in the first survey ranged from 5 to and in the second survey ranged from 6 to. The scores are quite low as shown in Figure. te that three parts were not surveyed in the questionnaire. Those are on the dead-ends structures, emergency
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments 3 Table 2. Results on fire safety ranking. (continued)
4 W. K. CHOW AND GIGI C. H. LUI Table 2. (continued). (continued)
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments 5 Table 2. (continued).
6 W. K. CHOW AND GIGI C. H. LUI Figure. Fire safety ranking.
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments 7 lighting and exit signs. A point was assigned to indicate that those parts were included. The following were observed on the four areas assessed: Key parameters in local fire codes: It is shown that both the FLD and OLF in most of the karaokes satisfy the local requirements [4 7]. That means that a large amount of combustible materials would not be stored, giving a FLD less than,35 MJm 2. Further, the number of people staying inside is well controlled within the specified limits. Passive building design: The passive building design, particularly on providing FRC in internal structures, is not well considered. Obviously, improvement is necessary, but how? FRC might not be the only requirement, lining materials with lower rates of surface flame spread would be better. However, this point is not considered in the current codes [4 7]. Active systems: The situation must be reviewed carefully to ensure that the active fire protection systems are maintained properly. Fire safety management: This area has not yet been considered seriously, though good fire safety management should be very helpful in giving a safe karaoke. From the first survey, only fourteen karaokes have appointed a Fire Safety Officer. te that those staff should be very helpful as all of them have the FH/HR systems maintained properly. There are some improvements made as indicated in the second survey, where 32 out of 43 karaokes have staff with fire safety management training. In general, fire safety has not yet been considered satisfactorily as there are no guides to follow. Even complying with all the new fire regulations might not necessarily give a karaoke with high points. te that it is very expensive to carry out the building works, and the business has to be suspended while refurbishing the building. Immediate action is therefore to enhance the fire safety management by establishing a proper FSMS [24] for existing karaokes where the fire safety provisions are inadequate in comparing with those specified in the new codes. A Fire Safety Officer would be appointed to take charge of the overall development and effective implementation of a FSMS. The management scheme should be designed with strategy that works under local conditions as listed in the general guidance notes for indoor air quality [25,26]. unique to a certain karaoke with its own characteristic such as the layout design and the score in the fire safety ranking system
8 W. K. CHOW AND GIGI C. H. LUI comprehensive to cover all fire safety aspects updated to cope with the changes in building layout and fire services installation Most importantly, there must be continuous cooperation among different government departments, the karaoke industry and even the customers from the general public to ensure that the scheme is being implemented successfully. The Fire Safety Officer should work out a good fire safety management plan so that all the essential items such as the FH/HR systems and FE are kept properly. In this way, at least five points will be added to fire safety management, giving an additional five points to those karaokes scoring low. The results of upgrading the fire safety management in each karaoke are shown in Table 2, with the total scores for the proposed upgraded karaokes ranging from to 5, as depicted in Figure. CONCLUSION The 2-point fire safety ranking system proposed is not a scoring system for assessing the fire safety provisions in new karaokes, as they have to follow all the new codes. It is a ranking system to assess the four parts on fire risk parameters (important in fire risk analysis), passive building design (taken care of by the BD), active systems (required by the FSD) and fire safety management (a new proposed item) of existing karaokes. This is to see how far they deviate from the new local fire codes [2 7]. However, whether the numerical figures quoted inside can be explained or not, they have to be followed at the moment. In fact, it is unfair for existing karaokes to comply with the new codes, because most of them satisfied the codes when they were newly operated. But it is still necessary for them to upgrade the safety provisions by other means such as fire safety management. An important point to be clarified is that the safety parameters cannot be traded off with one another. The first part of the ranking system on FLD and OLF is acceptable. The second part of the ranking system cannot be modified easily because it is quite difficult to carry out building works unless closing all the business. Also, there are space constraints while installing active systems such as fire detection systems. The third part of the ranking system is difficult to upgrade. Therefore, immediate action is to enhance fire safety management by appointing a Fire Safety Officer. Many karaokes are in fact starting to do so for improvements. If those staff members are doing their jobs properly, that will push the score up by five points for
A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments 9 some karaokes. Taking this into account, karaokes with upgraded fire safety management would have scores from to 5 points. These scores are much more acceptable to the public than those found in the current situation. It is difficult to propose a suitable design without an in-depth study. te that all refurbishing works associated with building works are very expensive. Should karaoke owners spend a large amount of money doing something which might not necessarily improve fire safety? Obviously, there is a need for high-level research on karaoke fires. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors wish to thank the Karaoke Requirement Concern Group for their kind support in this study. The project is supported by the PolyU research fund with account number G-V69. REFERENCES. South China Morning Post, 26 January (997). 2. Consultation paper on licensing control of karaoke establishments, Urban Services Department and Regional Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, February (998). 3. Press Release, Legislative Council: Karaoke Establishments Bill, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, 5 March (2). 4. Code of Practice for Minimum Fire Service Installations and Equipment and Inspection and Testing and Maintenance of Installations and Equipment, Fire Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (998). 5. Code of Practice for the Provision of Means of Access for Firefighting and Rescue, Buildings Department, Hong Kong (995). 6. Code of Practice for Fire Resisting Construction, Buildings Department, Hong Kong (996). 7. Code of Practice for the Provision of Means of Escape in Case of Fire, Buildings Department, Hong Kong (996). 8. G.C.H. Lui and W.K. Chow, Review on safety codes relating to karaoke establishments and fire safety management, International Journal on Engineering Performance-Based Fire Codes, Vol.,. 2, pp. 59 7 (999). 9. W.K. Chow and W.K. Wong, Atria fire record and simulation on their fire environment using the zone model FIRST, The Hong Kong Engineer, December, pp. 2 26 (992).. J.M. Watts, Fire risk assessment using multiattribute evaluation, Fire Safety Science: Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium, Edited by Y. Hasemi, Tsukuba, Japan, pp. 679 69 (997).
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