KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 14): More than 350 participants turned up this morning at EdgeProp.my’s “Symposium 2017 - Is your home a fire hazard?” to listen to five experts from various industries and government agencies share their knowledge and expertise in fire safety and prevention measures in homes.

The symposium is organised by EdgeProp.my at Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

Gamuda Land is the presenting sponsor while the supporting sponsor is Nippon Paint Malaysia.

The half-day event is also supported by The Edge Malaysia.

In her welcome address, EdgeProp.my managing director and editor-in-chief Au Foong Yee said that EdgeProp.my hopes to raise awareness on the need for everybody, with no exception, to be updated on fire safety information through the symposium.

“Apathy, ignorance and arrogance can lead to tragic results. Yet, in most cases, we choose to dwell in a false sense of assurance and security before it gets too late — it can be fatal.

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“For instance, is it good enough to have a fire extinguisher at home? Do you know you have bought something meant for all type of fires? Is it still in good working condition?

“If you are living in a high-rise building, was it designed, built and managed with fire safety in mind?” asked Au, who added that communal living also demands for specific fire-safety practices.

Tan Hai Khoon, who is a property investor and a committee member of the joint management committee at his condo, attended the symposium to gain more insights from the speakers.

"I want to know when we come across any issues and fire hazards in a building, how should we address it and which party should we look for to deal with it?" he told EdgeProp.my.

The half-day symposium featured five speakers. The first was LeeSiong Architect Sdn Bhd principal architect Chong Lee Siong, who talked about the design of a building with the topic: “So, your home was built with fire safety in mind?”

The next speaker was Henry Butcher Malaysia (Mont Kiara) executive director Low Hon Keong. His presentation entitled “Fire safety in communal living”  enlightened the audience regarding preventive measures in a communal environment.

Low was followed by Hamdan Ali, the assistant commissioner at the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia’s Fire Safety Division who discussed the topic “Fire safety and building regulations - Is Malaysia outdated?”

Subsequently, Architect Centre accredited architect and trainer Anthony Lee Tee talked about the facts and figures based on real-life fire incidents in Malaysia, as well as electrical safety issues in his talk entitled “Burning facts you cannot ignore!”

Last but not least, Energy Commission Malaysia’s department of regulatory electrical safety’s equipment unit regulatory officer Nor Faidarina Alias elaborated on the guidelines and offered tips on how to safeguard a home against electrical incidents during her session entitled “Ensuring electrical safety at home”.

Hamdan, Lee, and Faidarina then took part in a panel discussion entitled “Myths vs Reality” which was moderated by Au.

For the full coverage on the symposium, read the Oct 20, 2017 issue of EdgeProp.my pullout, which will be available for free download.