Portable Equipment

 

1. What is portable equipment?

Portable equipment means any fire service equipment which is manufactured, used or designed to be used as an independent unit for the purposes of extinguishing, attacking, preventing or limiting a fire.  They are handy, easy to operate and very effective on putting out small fires. 

Examples of portable equipment are fire extinguishers and fire blankets.  A fire extinguisher consists of a pressurized cylinder containing an extinguishing agent (e.g. water, dry chemical, carbon dioxide, etc.) that can be discharged to extinguish or control fire.  A fire blanket, which is a flexible sheet made of fire-resistant material (e.g. glass fibre), is very useful for putting out small fires caused by say burning oil in kitchen by placing it over the fire.

 

2. Does portable equipment require approval from the Fire Services Department (FSD)?

All portable equipment shall be approved by FSD before sale or supply in Hong Kong.

 

3. How does the Fire Services Department safeguard the performance and safety of portable equipment?

FSD has put in place an approval mechanism for portable equipment and will only grant approval after confirming that the performance and safety of the product are up to standard.  Under the existing approval mechanism, FSD will vet the test reports, product catalogue, technical details, etc. of the portable equipment to ensure its performance and construction are in conformity with relevant national/international standards and local requirements.

 

4. What is the “equipment list”?

The “equipment list” is a list kept by FSD which includes all portable equipment that have been approved by the department and will be published in the government Gazette at least once in every year for public reference.

Approved portable equipment are classified by category in the list, which includes some key information of all listed equipment, such as the manufacturer, model number, type, size, fire rating and approval expiry date, etc.

A person must not sell or supply any portable equipment that is not included in the “equipment list” or is included in the list but marked with words to signify that the approval has expired.

 

5. What is the “approval expiry date”?

To ensure the quality of approved portable equipment is continuously reliable, a validity period is imposed on the approval of equipment granted by FSD with a maximum period of 5 years. The supplier or its agent shall submit an application to FSD for extending the approval validity before the “approval expiry date” of the equipment. Otherwise, the equipment will no longer be allowed for sale or supply in Hong Kong with effect from the “approval expiry date”.

 

6. Can I install a portable equipment by myself?

For portable equipment that is required or pursuant to law to be installed in the premises, the installation shall be carried out by a registered fire service installation contractor. This requirement is not applicable for portable equipment that is voluntarily installed by citizens, which can be installed by themselves.

 

7. What are the statutory duties for owners of portable equipment?

Owners of portable equipment shall keep the equipment in efficient working order at all times and have it inspected by a RFSIC at least once every 12 months.

Regarding portable equipment for domestic use, the government has amended the Fire Services (Installations and Equipment) Regulations (Cap. 95B). With effect from 1 November 2023, Owners of approved portable equipment voluntarily installed at domestic premises will be exempted from the aforementioned statutory duties.

 

8. How should I handle unserviceable or abandoned fire extinguishers?

Unserviceable or abandoned fire extinguishers with chemical substance or stored pressure should be properly handled and disposed of as chemical waste.  Owners of fire extinguishers are advised to first contact an registered fire service installation contractor to arrange for collection prior to disposal or recycling of the compressed gas cylinders.  For fire extinguishers whose gas or substance has been exhausted, they can be recycled as waste metal after being discharged.

Under no circumstances shall any person remove the headcap of a fire extinguisher or any components thereof by himself.

 

Voluntary Installation of Portable Equipment at Domestic Premises

 

9. What is the policy intent of the legislative amendments to the Fire Services (Installations and Equipment) Regulations (Cap. 95B) in 2023?

FSD has been exploring pragmatic and targeted measures to facilitate occupants to respond to a fire using the skills of “Escape and Evacuate” and “Extinguish Fire”.

To facilitate occupants to “Escape and Evacuate” in case of fire, the government has amended Cap. 95B in 2021 to exempt owners of stand-alone fire detectors (SFD)of the statutory duties under the regulations and has been promoting for a wider voluntary use of SFD.

On the part of “Extinguish Fire”, devastating fatal fires could be better prevented if the occupants are able to put out the fire early with portable equipment installed at the domestic premises once it is detected.

In this light, it is the intent of this legislative amendment exercise to encourage citizens to enhance home fire safety by voluntary installation of portable equipment at domestic premises.

 

10. Under what conditions is the exemption of statutory duties under Cap. 95B applicable for owners of portable equipment for domestic use?

The owners of portable equipment for domestic use will be exempted from relevant statutory duties if the following three conditions have been matched:
 

• The equipment is any portable equipment included in the equipment list (including equipment of which the approval has expired but is still included in the list);
• The equipment is installed in any domestic premises; and
• The equipment is not required by or pursuant to law to be installed.

 

11. What is the definition of “domestic premises”?

“Domestic premises” means any premises intended to be used solely or principally for residential purposes and constructed as a separate unit, but does not include a child care centre, a hotel or guesthouse, a residential care home for elderly, a bedspace apartment, a treatment centre a residential care home for persons with disabilities and other specified premises.

A premises is a specified premises if the premises is used for an operation that provides accommodation to any person, and the operation is regulated through a licensing or registration regime established by an Ordinance.