Debris piled up in the corridor, fire door jammed, "common violations" in the building exposed! Has your family been hit too?

Anyone who fails to comply with the building's public security declaration will face a fine of up to 300,000 yuan. (Schematic diagram, photo by reporter Cai Shuyuan)

"Is it okay to put the shoe cabinet in the corridor?", "The fire door is too heavy, it would be easier to push it if the automatic door closer is removed?" These seemingly inconspicuous small actions in daily life are actually quietly confiscating the building's golden escape time.

The Miaoli County Government reminds you that the "invisible killers" in these buildings must be uncovered, especially don't turn a blind eye to the damaged automatic closing mechanism of the escape door, so as not to guarantee safety and face an iron-fisted fine of up to 300,000 yuan.

According to the county government, normally closed fire doors that are stuck or have damaged door bows that fail to close automatically, and debris piled up in escape passages are the two most common public security dynamic violations in public security inspection statistics over the years. They are the most frequently punished and are also the most easily ignored fatal violations.

For the sake of ventilation or easy entry and exit, many building residents are accustomed to "blocking" the fire door of the escape ladder with objects. They even think that the fire door is too heavy to push, or the fire door is damaged and cannot be closed normally, so they privately remove or loosen the "door bow" (automatic door closer) link at the top of the door.

The county government stated that the function of the door bow is to ensure that the fire door can automatically close and fit 100% after being pushed open. Normally closed fire doors must be kept closed at ordinary times to effectively block the spread of thick smoke and high temperature in the event of a fire. Once the door bow fails or the door is deliberately jammed, the escape ladder will instantly become a "big chimney" that absorbs deadly smoke, putting the entire building into crisis.

Debris piled up in escape passages and stairwells, private shoe cabinets and debris piles in corridors, or bicycles and potted plants parked in stairwells, usually seem to occupy only a small amount of space. However, once the power is cut off and the scene is dark and densely filled with smoke during a fire, these debris will become fatal obstacles that can trip people up. Public security inspections require that escape routes must be "zero debris", and absolutely no luck is allowed.

According to Article 91 of the "Construction Act", if a building fails to pass the inspection, or if it fails to comply with the public security declaration but fails to make improvements, the building owner or user can be directly fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000. However, penalties are not the purpose. If improvements are not made within the time limit, the government will take "continuous penalties." In serious cases, the building owner or user will be directly ordered to stop using the building or forcibly cut off water and electricity.

If casualties occur unfortunately, the relevant personnel must bear heavy civil and criminal legal responsibilities.

The Industrial and Commercial Development Department calls on buildings that fall within the reporting period in the second half of this year, including Category D (gyms, schools, cram schools, etc.) and Category F (hospitals, day care classes, kindergartens, child care centers, welfare institutions for the mentally and physically handicapped, long-term care institutions, elderly welfare institutions, children and juvenile welfare institutions, etc.), to entrust a legal professional inspection agency recognized by the Ministry of the Interior to conduct on-site inspections. If you have any questions about the declaration process, you can check with the Land Management Office of the Ministry of the Interior.

In addition to the usual implementation of the public security declaration management of buildings in various places, the county government will also continue to conduct irregular "spot inspections" to check and accept the results. If the inspected place does not comply with the regulations, a heavy fine of 60,000 yuan will be imposed, and notices of unqualified places will be posted to maintain public safety in consumption places.