Why are there no back doors in HDB flats for fire escape?

[halsey02]

HDB flats especially the older flats, point blocks, do not meet the fire regulations imposed on private developments.

Private developers are not MEMBERS!..HDB was built to be affordable & subsiDIzEd...you want 'char kway teow' prices ( fried by Ah Tiongs) or Foie Gras ( prepared by Jimmy Oliver)?? one half & half Vivien will ask you...

You pay cheap...you want fires safety standard homes...ha ha ha but are you, MEMBER!?

 

[kingrant]

Why have back door when your front door is safe? HDB flats have fire-proof front door to prevent fire from getting into your flat.

Other people have you must also have. I have a thick hairy moustache, can you have one?

Are you in yr right mind? They are for fires started inside yr flat, and it's blocking yr front door escape!

Time you shave that moustache off, it's blocking yr eyes.

 

[kingrant]

myo539: <<"Why have back door when your front door is safe? HDB flats have fire-proof front door to prevent fire from getting into your flat.

Other people have you must also have. I have a thick hairy moustache, can you have one?">>

Smoke inhalation kills before the fire even reaches the person, so a fire door at the front of the HDB flat nor the windows does very little in stopping the smoke and toxic fumes from killing HDB residents in a fire.

The key to survival is evacuating quickly and that cannot happen if the common corridor outside the fire-proof front door is blocked by fire and acrid thick toxic smoke. The presence of a back door or fire escape ladder at the back of the HDB flat could mean the difference between life and death.

Spot on, bro.

 

[SIFU]

TS,

i dunno where u get the idea that all pte condos have backdoor...

due to nature on my previous work, i have visited many condos. These condos are everywhere in spore.. i will list a few to prove my case..

signature park (bukit batok area) : dun have
hillington green and glendale park (both hillview area) : dun have
gardenville (steven road) : dun have
even newer ones in joo chiat also dun have.. my fren bought a few units so I know lah..

i also staying in 1. also dun have.. so i really dun understand why u say all condos have. but i do not disagree it is necessary to have 1 lah.

 

[Zombie]

Are you in yr right mind? They are for fires started inside yr flat, and it's blocking yr front door escape!

"Fire Doors" are meant to prevent the spread of fire both ways, ie to "contain" the fire within the area for certain amount of time.

 

[kingrant]

"Fire Doors" are meant to prevent the spread of fire both ways, ie to "contain" the fire within the area for certain amount of time.

No I am not talking abt fire doors, what they can and can't do. I'm talking about another door in the flat that will lead to the outside.

 

[kingrant]

TS,

i dunno where u get the idea that all pte condos have backdoor...

due to nature on my previous work, i have visited many condos. These condos are everywhere in spore.. i will list a few to prove my case..

signature park (bukit batok area) : dun have
hillington green and glendale park (both hillview area) : dun have
gardenville (steven road) : dun have
even newer ones in joo chiat also dun have.. my fren bought a few units so I know lah..

i also staying in 1. also dun have.. so i really dun understand why u say all condos have. but i do not disagree it is necessary to have 1 lah.

Is that right? I admit I havent seen them. Then I stand corrected -- not all then. But since they're high rise, I see you also agree that they shld all have.

Have you seen Laguna Park, Lagoon View, Neptune Ct, as well as those built under the same scheme, and Bayshore Park?

 

[Zombie]

No I am not talking abt fire doors, what they can and can't do. I'm talking about another door in the flat that will lead to the outside.

You confused me.
Every HDB home got only one wooden main door.

 

[Ramseth]

How often can a HDB burst into flame without a plane loaded with jet fuel slam onto it?

What are the chances of dying from a fire in HDB flat compared to an earthquake that bring down the entire flat in seconds?

Got back door you still think got time to climb down the stairs?

I agree. There's no such thing as any functionable fire escape when an aircraft crashes into a highrise. The so-called fire escape would have also burst into flames. In older midrise apartments in North America and Europe (and even Singapore during colonial times), there were almost always back balcony or back window fire escape staircases. They proved to be more often more helpful to burglars than fire victims.

In any case, if this is a political complaint, ride the surf and beach with the tide. If this is a serious concern, be prepared to pay for it if it's successfully adopted as government policy, which is, make the people pay for whatever they ask for.

 

[kingrant]

How often can a HDB burst into flame without a plane loaded with jet fuel slam onto it?

What are the chances of dying from a fire in HDB flat compared to an earthquake that bring down the entire flat in seconds?

Got back door you still think got time to climb down the stairs?

We're just talking abt ordinary house fires, not dramatic 9/11 events. Chances of home fires definitely higher than earhquakes and higher than plane crashes.

An extra door to get out of a burning flat into the safety of the common corridor from which to further escape by stairs is what I'm talking abt.

You confused me.
Every HDB home got only one wooden main door.

Exactly. It's not existent now that's why you dont see it and are confused. That's why it's not so safe when yr flat catches fire and yr front door is blocked by the fire. HDB shld build its flats with a second door to provide extra route of escape.

This second door is usually positioned in the kitchen and allows the residents to exit to the lift lobby too.

 

[eatshitndie]

hotels would be worse than hdb blocks as rooms are normally trapped in inside corridors or hallways, which typically run length-wise with stairs at both ends. carpeting, draperies and the amount of furniture ensure an endless supply of fuel to fire. it's extremely important for the guest to check out the floor map and escape routes before settling in. at least with good hotels, they have evacuation plans somewhere in the design of the buildings. good hotels, i said. the problem with hdb flats is that there is no, nada, nil signs and maps on each floor to inform the visitor or tenant any evacuation route.

 

[kingrant]

hotels would be worse than hdb blocks as rooms are normally trapped in inside corridors or hallways, which typically run length-wise with stairs at both ends. carpeting, draperies and the amount of furniture ensure an endless supply of fuel to fire. it's extremely important for the guest to check out the floor map and escape routes before settling in. at least with good hotels, they have evacuation plans somewhere in the design of the buildings. good hotels, i said. the problem with hdb flats is that there is no, nada, nil signs and maps on each floor to inform the visitor or tenant any evacuation route.

But hotels have water sprinkler system that hdb flats don't. Also hotels don't allow you to cook or light fires in the rooms, so the source of ignition is absent. It is more than signages or evac routes that are missing. HDB is built by the govt for its citizens and why the fire safety bureau doesnt flag it I dunno. The FSB from my experience ever flagged a F&B outlet for not having water sprinkler system even tho the area concerned is over a swimming pool!

 

[Ramseth]

hotels would be worse than hdb blocks as rooms are normally trapped in inside corridors or hallways, which typically run length-wise with stairs at both ends. carpeting, draperies and the amount of furniture ensure an endless supply of fuel to fire. it's extremely important for the guest to check out the floor map and escape routes before settling in. at least with good hotels, they have evacuation plans somewhere in the design of the buildings. good hotels, i said. the problem with hdb flats is that there is no, nada, nil signs and maps on each floor to inform the visitor or tenant any evacuation route.

Visit Genting First World Hotel. Twin blocks with 3,000+ rooms each (i.e. 6,000+ rooms complex). If there's a fire, by the time you coughed, lunged, struggled to breathe and tried to run through the hallway to reach the nearest staircase or fire exit, should be around 10 minutes, or never reach it if you're knocked off by the smoke and heat halfway.

HDB flats are very safe by comparison. If there's a fire alarm, open the front door, run for the nearest staircase (usually reachable within 1 minute unless you're handicapped) and scramble downwards toward safe open ground (usually reachable within a ratio of 4 minutes to 20 storeys).

Still unconvinced? Buy more fire insurance.

 

[eatshitndie]

But hotels have water sprinkler system that hdb flats don't. Also hotels don't allow you to cook or light fires in the rooms, so the source of ignition is absent. It is more than signages or evac routes that are missing. HDB is built by the govt for its citizens and why the fire safety bureau doesnt flag it I dunno. The FSB from my experience ever flagged a F&B outlet for not having water sprinkler system even tho the area concerned is over a swimming pool!

i've been to some 3rd world hotels where sprinkler systems are non-existent. but again, they are usually not too tall. a jump from the window or balcony will most likely break a bone here and there.

 

[eatshitndie]

Visit Genting First World Hotel. Twin blocks with 3,000+ rooms each (i.e. 6,000+ rooms complex). If there's a fire, by the time you coughed, lunged, struggled to breathe and tried to run through the hallway to reach the nearest staircase or fire exit, should be around 10 minutes, or never reach it if you're knocked off by the smoke and heat halfway.

HDB flats are very safe by comparison. If there's a fire alarm, open the front door, run for the nearest staircase (usually reachable within 1 minute unless you're handicapped) and scramble downwards toward safe open ground (usually reachable within a ratio of 4 minutes to 20 storeys).

Still unconvinced? Buy more fire insurance.

fire aside, seismic shifts or structural wear and tear give me the creeps in any hdb flat in sg. i don't trust the cheap "architects" who design them.

 

[0939]

I am staying in a condo, I have 2 doors and my neighbour has one door, Depending on the design. In case of front door on fire. You have no choice but to jump from balcony. People prefer to jump than to be burned alive. You have seen on TV Sep 11. HDB is for lesser mortal, very simple.

 

[Ramseth]

fire aside, seismic shifts or structural wear and tear give me the creeps in any hdb flat in sg. i don't trust the cheap "architects" who design them.

Doesn't it gives you the same regardless whether HDB or private?

You trust private architects? Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas and a bottle of rum. :p

 

[axe168]

Can the HDB, SCDF or MND clarify why there are no back doors in HDB flats? All private condos have them except HDB flats. In a high rise environment, surely this is a very important thing to have. The many lives that were lost to fiires in HDB flats and shophouses could have been saved if they all had a fire exit. Why did the SCDF/FSB not insist it as a mandatory requirement for HDB? Instead, they got the town councils to divert attention by pointing to obstructions to fire escape staircases in HDB corridors.

It is not mandatory to have a back door or rear exit. :( Likewise it is not mandatory to have a lift that stops at every floor. HDB has its own set of rules and they can relax the rules accordingly. Similarly to SMRT.. where standing and sitting capacity do not apply.. Hmm but we have stringent rules for taxis and private used cars..

 

[halsey02]

i've been to some 3rd world hotels where sprinkler systems are non-existent. but again, they are usually not too tall. a jump from the window or balcony will most likely break a bone here and there.

It is important that when staying is such places, it is not advisable to put on your 'birthday suit' when going to bed. Even after you have your 'celebration', it is best, that you change.

You pay for what you get, what!...

 

[Zombie]

That's why it's not so safe when yr flat catches fire and yr front door is blocked by the fire.

Which is what I was telling you all the while... the wooden main door is "fire door" and there is no way a fire will block your way unless you stock up bottles of petrol at the doorway.