Fire-safety permits, which previously took at least 10 days to obtain, will now be issued in 10 minutes for "minor" construction projects, including nine-story apartment buildings where each floor has a maximum area of 200 square meters, Shanghai Fire Control Bureau officials said.
The new policy, the result of a push by the State Council, went into effect at the start of the new year.
Officials said the old procedure for obtaining permits was cumbersome and hindered the city's development.
The permits certify that fire-safety measures, such as sprinklers and fire escapes, have been incorporated into construction plans.
"The key to the success of our new measure will be paying more attention to construction projects and stressing to project executives and architects that they have a legal responsibility to ensure that their designs and projects incorporate fire-safety measures," said bureau spokesman Zhou Meiliang.
Under the new procedure, applicants only need to go to the bureau to file forms in which they state that they have adopted fire-prevention and escape measures for the projects. If examining officials have no further questions for applicants, permits will be immediately issued.
The new policy, however, would not apply to massive projects like the Jin Mao Tower or the majority of government offices. If a government building has a maximum of three floors with each floor no more than 200 square meters, it would qualify.
If hospitals, hotels, office buildings and government agencies have a portion of their interiors renovated, fire-safety permits can be obtained quickly if the structures are less than 100 meters high and fire-prevention and escape equipment are unaltered.
(eastday.com January 4, 2002)
