To ensure fire prevention and control (FPC) safety in markets and shopping centers, in addition to strictly complying with safety regulations, the following measures should be implemented:
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Each business stall should only display sample goods and goods for sale in a single day with a minimum quantity; do not let goods encroach on the space between stalls or booths as per regulations.
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Absolutely no business, storage, or use of particularly flammable substances such as gasoline, alcohol, gas, or other easily flammable chemicals inside the market building.
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Post FPC regulations, no-smoking signs, and fire prohibition signs in places prone to fire and explosion. In cases where fire or heat sources must be used, set up a separate area with safety measures for FPC.
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Absolutely no lighting of candles, incense, or burning votive papers in markets and shopping centers.
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Separate the electrical systems serving business activities, lighting for protection, evacuation, and fire-fighting; install protective devices (circuit breakers) for the entire electrical system, for each floor, each branch, each type of goods, and each stall of the business households.
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Keep flammable goods at least 0.5 meters away from light bulbs, fluorescent lamp ballasts, and electrical panels. Do not use electric irons, electric stoves, drying ovens, or heaters; do not use incandescent bulbs for drying goods; use fans with safety cages.
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Do not use flammable materials for interior decoration, walls, partitions, ceilings, or stalls.
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Markets and shopping centers with an area exceeding the standard (2,200 m² per floor) must build fire barriers; if this solution is not applicable, install water curtains to prevent fire spread at the fire barrier position.
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Arrange non-flammable or hard-to-burn goods rows among flammable goods rows.
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Install automatic fire detection and extinguishing systems according to regulations.
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Do not build additional roofs, awnings, or arrange stalls, parking lots, or store materials and goods in the firebreak distance between blocks of the market area and adjacent areas.
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Do not arrange residences, hotels, discos, schools, or activities with large gatherings on the upper floors of markets and shopping centers.
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Supermarkets and shopping centers located on the upper floors of multi-story buildings must:
- Arrange separate emergency exit stairs with direct access to the outside.
- Set up temporary refuge rooms and additional emergency exits. Implement measures to prevent fire and smoke accumulation in emergency stairs and temporary refuge rooms.
- Doors on emergency exits should open in the direction of evacuation, made from non-combustible materials; doors to emergency stairwells should be fire-resistant and self-closing.
- Provide evacuation guidance diagrams for each floor, area, and goods type; install emergency lighting systems and evacuation signs along evacuation routes.
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Establish a local FPC team with sufficient personnel for regular patrols and monitoring for fire detection; organize FPC training, evacuation guidance, and rescue training for this team.
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Equip fire-fighting means suitable for the scale and nature of fire hazards, to assist in evacuation and rescue.
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Develop and conduct drills for fire-fighting and rescue plans in the event of the most complex fire scenarios.
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In case of fire, take all measures to report to the Fire and Rescue Police Force at hotline 114 or the nearest police station, and simultaneously extinguish the fire and rescue people according to the established plan.
