Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
Order of the President [1998] No. 4
April 29, 1998
The Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China, which was adopted at the 2nd session of the Standing Committee of the 9th National People's Congress on April 29, 1998, is released hereby and shall take effect as of September 1, 1998.
President of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin
Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 This Law is enacted for the purpose of preventing fire and reducing harm caused by fire hazards, safeguarding citizens' personal safety, the security of public and citizens' property, maintaining public security and ensuring the smooth progress of the socialist modernization drive.
Article 2 In fire control, the guideline of putting prevention first and combining prevention with fire fighting shall be applied, the principle of coordinating the efforts of special organs with those of the masses shall be adhered to and the responsibility system for security against fire shall be practised.
Article 3 The State Council shall exercise leadership over the work of fire control and the local people's governments at all levels shall be responsible for it. The people's governments at all levels shall incorporate the work of fire control into their plans of national economic and social development to ensure that the work of fire control is suited to economic and social development.
Article 4 The public security department under the State Council shall supervise and administer the work of fire control throughout the country; the public security organs of the local people's governments at or above the county level shall supervise and administer the work of fire control within their own administrative regions, and the departments for fire control of the public security organs under these people's governments shall be responsible for exercising such supervision and administration. The work of fire control for military installations, for the underground areas of mines and for nuclear power plants shall be supervised and administered by the units in charge of them.
Where there are provisions governing the work of fire control for forests and grasslands in other laws or administrative rules and regulations, those provisions shall be followed.
Article 5 All units and individuals shall have the duty of maintaining security against fire, preserving fire control facilities, preventing the occurrence of fire and giving an alarm of fire once it occurs. All units and adult citizens shall have the duty of helping to put out a fire in an organized manner.
Article 6 The people's governments at all levels shall constantly disseminate among citizens knowledge about fire control so as to enhance their awareness of the importance of fire control.
The administrative departments for education, labor, etc. shall incorporate knowledge about fire control into their teaching and training programs.
The competent departments for the press, publishing, broadcasting, film and, television and the other departments concerned shall have the duty of disseminating knowledge about the importance of security against fire.
Article 7 Units or individuals that have made outstanding contributions to or have accomplished notable achievements in the work of fire control shall be rewarded.
Chapter II Fire Prevention
Article 8 The people's governments of cities shall incorporate into their overall urban planning the plans for fire control, which include the location of fire-fighting facilities, fire stations, water supply for fire fighting, fire service communications, passageways for fire engines and fire-fighting equipment, and shall be responsible for mobilizing the competent departments concerned to carry them out. Where public fire control facilities or fire-fighting equipment are inadequate or cannot meet practical needs, the said governments shall see to it that these are increased, rebuilt, installed or upgraded.
Scientific research in fire control shall be enhanced, and the use of advanced technology and equipment for fire control shall be encouraged.
Article 9 Factories that produce such hazardous substances as combustibles and explosives, warehouses that store them and the stations and wharves that are used specially for loading and unloading them shall be built on the outskirts of cities or in relatively separate, safe areas. Fueling, supplying and voltage regulating stations for combustible or explosive gases or liquids shall be built in proper locations in conformity with the requirements for preventing fire and explosion.
Where factories that produce such hazardous substances as combustibles and explosives, warehouses that store them, stations and wharves that are used specially for loading and unloading them, or fueling, supplying and voltage regulating stations for combustible or explosive gases or liquids were built at variance with the provisions in the preceding paragraph, the relevant units shall take measures to have the problem solved within a time limit.
Article 10 Where a construction project needs to be designed for fire control in accordance with the national standards of construction technology for such a project, the designer shall do the designing in conformity with the said standards, and the construction unit shall submit for examination the blueprint of the design for fire control and the related data to the department for fire control of a public security organ; if they are not examined or fail to pass the examination, the administrative department for construction may not issue the construction permit and the construction unit may not start work.
If the design of a construction project for fire control that has passed examination by the department for fire control of the public security organ need be altered, the matter shall be submitted to the said department for examination and approval; without such examination and approval, no unit or individual may alter the design.
When a construction project which is designed in accordance with the national standards of construction technology for fire control is completed, it shall be inspected for acceptance by the department for fire control of the public security organ; if the project is not inspected for acceptance or fails to pass the inspection, it may not be put to use.
Article 11 All construction components and materials shall conform to the national or trade standards in their properties of fire prevention.
Where the national standards of construction technology for fire control require the use of incombustible or fire retardant materials in the internal furnishing and decoration of public places, only quality materials which are tested and verified by the inspection institutions authorized in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Product Quality shall be used.
Article 12 Before the use or start of business operation of public places, such as song and dance halls, cinemas, theaters, hotels, restaurants, department stores or markets, an application shall be submitted to the department for fire control of the local public security organ for inspection; and these places may only be put to use or start business operation when they pass the inspection for security against fire.
Article 13 Where there is a danger of fire when public activities such as large gatherings, fireworks evening parties and lantern festivals are held, the host units shall, in advance, work out plans for possible fire fighting and emergency evacuation, make sure that measures for security against fire are taken and apply to the department for fire control of the public security organ; such activities may only be held after the said department inspects the venues and considers them qualified for security against fire.
Article 14 All government departments, public organizations, enterprises and institutions shall perform the following duties for security against fire:
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