Guideline lays down the law on fire control management

The central authorities' plan to reform firefighting governance will help the country's top emergency management watchdog streamline administration and delegate powers, benefiting thousands of businesses and professionals in fire control agencies, the country's top emergency management authority said.

According to a guideline released by central authorities on Sunday, China will ratchet up reform on law enforcement in fire control. New densely populated businesses, for example, will not have to pass firefighting authority examinations before going into operation, as was the case before. With their business licenses in hand, they can open after promising their fire control facilities meet national standards.

The guideline also exempted new agencies involved in maintenance of fire control facilities and fire safety assessment from firefighting authority examinations and approval before starting operations.

According to preliminary estimates, every year these policies will benefit over 100,000 densely populated businesses and tens of thousands of agencies providing fire control services, said Chungsas, deputy head of fire services for the Ministry of Emergency Management, at a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office on Monday.

More than 100,000 professionals in these agencies will be spared the trouble of passing examination and approval from the firefighting authority to start their work, he added.

He said the ministry will take a series of measures to prevent firefighting violations of these business premises and agencies.

Inspections will be launched to check if business premises have fixed fire control facilities as they promised. Failure to honor promises will be registered in offenders' credit records. In serious circumstances, their businesses will be suspended.

The ministry will carry out more random inspections to enhance supervision over agencies. Agencies and their employees may permanently be denied access to the sector if found to have committed serious violations, he added.

Under the guideline, officers' law enforcement activities will be further regulated, said Shang Yong, vice-minister of emergency management.

Law enforcement procedures will be completely recorded with participation of at least two officers, he said. He didn't specify how the record will be carried out, however.

"Firefighters will be forbidden to take posts in firefighting industry associations and agencies. Retired firefighters who take such posts should abide by relevant government regulations and take no compensation from these posts," he said.

Institutes and certification bodies under the jurisdiction of the fire service department should not offer intermediary services related to law enforcement on fire control, he added.