Firefighters tackle a blaze at an old apartment at Vọng Đức Street, Hoàn Kiếm District in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Houses located in areas that do not meet infrastructure requirements for transportation or water supply for fighting fires in major cities must install alarm transmission devices connected directly to the police.

This regulation is part of a draft decree that provides detailed provisions for the Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue. The draft was developed by the Ministry of Public Security.

After being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice, the draft decree will take effect on July 1, 2025.

According to the draft, the People's Committees of centrally governed cities will be responsible for ensuring funding to equip houses in areas lacking adequate transportation infrastructure or water supply for firefighting with fire alarm transmission devices.

These devices must be connected to the fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue database system, as well as the fire alarm transmission system managed by the police department.

The proposed implementation roadmap states that, by January 1, 2026, People's Committees of cities and provinces must complete the classification, establishment and public announcement of areas and houses that fall under this category and cannot be improved to meet technical standards and regulations.

The draft also specifies that, by July 1, 2026, ministries responsible for managing specialised construction projects must coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to issue regulations on firefighting equipment, facilities and technical solutions to enhance fire safety for non-compliant structures.

By July 1, 2027, all required fire alarm transmission devices must be installed and connected to the fire prevention, firefighting and rescue database system, as well as the police department’s fire alarm transmission system.

By July 1, 2028, the heads of establishments must fully comply with the provisions of the Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue.

For establishments where technical solutions cannot be applied, their functions must be converted to align with their scale and operational nature after July 1, 2028.

During a discussion on this draft law in June 2024, Chairman of the Committee for Judicial Affairs Hoàng Thanh Tùng stated that, as of mid-2023, Việt Nam had 39,536 existing structures and establishments that remained in violation of fire prevention regulations, with many being difficult or impossible to bring into compliance.

Among these, 8,114 structures across 51 cities and provinces had been put into use without passing fire prevention and firefighting inspections. — VNS