Is there a hydrant network in the building and is it working properly, do the hydrants have water hoses, are there fire extinguishers and are they working properly, whether and how many tenants have fire extinguishers in their homes and how many tenants in the building know how to operate fire extinguishers. These are the questions that all communities of building owners and managers on the territory of the municipality of Karposh need to answer, and they are required to submit the answers in writing to the municipal archive within 7 days.

As informed by the Municipality, due to the tragic event that occurred in Kocani, the Karposh Inspectorate has conducted an action in which all the listed requirements will be checked and the data it possesses regarding the fire safety of buildings, which was collected in 2022, will be updated. For the inspection of business facilities, a separate action will be conducted in which several inspectors will participate.

In addition to checking the hydrant network, every tenant or president of a homeowners' association is required to report this to the municipal housing inspector, in case they notice that the exit from the inside or outside to the fire escapes, in those buildings where such escapes are present, is blocked by any obstacle or furniture or is usurped by a door or structure, so that the exit doors to the fire escapes can be cleared.

Through the public call for this action, we are trying to make it easier and faster for the inspector to get in touch with the responsible persons in the buildings. The action is very extensive, and cooperation in the field with the Owners' Associations is much more difficult, the presidents, that is, the responsible persons, are changing, so that even the data from the field is not always accurate. An email with instructions has already been sent to the managing companies. They are obliged to submit data within the deadline, which we believe will go much easier and faster because these are companies - legal entities where we have much greater control over the implementation of the given duties. But of course, we will also contact the communities in writing through the local communities by submitting a request for data directly to the buildings - Karposh explains.

But, knowing that all inspections, including local ones, do not have enough inspectors, we asked for an answer on what will happen after the data is collected, whether there will be a check on what is stated by the owners and managers. Does the Municipality have enough inspectors for field inspections?

We do not have enough inspectors. That is, we only have one. However, in this action, other inspectors will also act in accordance with their duties, for example, if it is determined that the fire escapes are usurped or blocked by any construction, the municipal construction inspector will act. We are carrying out the action in cooperation with the Department for Protection and Rescue in the Municipality of Karposh, but their powers are also quite limited in terms of this serious issue - they say from there.

Once the municipal inspectorate has collected the data, it will oblige all entities to act in accordance with the law and fire protection regulations, where necessary.

If the guidelines are not followed somewhere and the obligation is not acted upon, the Inspection at the Directorate for Protection and Rescue will be notified, from where the subjects will receive an appropriate penalty, and for some of them for which the inspector has the authority to continue the procedure, the procedures will be completed in the Municipality of Karposh - claim the Municipality.

Otherwise, the obligation to ensure that there are enough fire extinguishers and working hydrants in a building lies with the tenants, regardless of whether this is implemented through the communities or managers.

Collective residential buildings are private property and the full maintenance of the building as well as compliance with legal norms is the responsibility of the tenants themselves, owners of separate parts, apartments, through their elected representatives, or through the management companies - Karposh explains.

Previously, even before the tragic fire in Kocani, the Municipality inspected the hydrant network in all kindergartens and schools on its territory.

Apart from Karposh, there is currently no information whether such an action is being implemented in other Skopje municipalities, although it has been known for years that buildings in Skopje, especially older ones, do not even have fire extinguishers, and that the hoses of the existing hydrants, which are not known to be in working order, have long since been stolen. In a small number of buildings, tenants have evacuation plans in case of fire, and in some of them, the common terraces through which two or more entrances are connected are closed or have been converted into apartments.

The Law on Protection and Rescue stipulates that buildings must also have fire regulations.

The owners, i.e. the users of residential buildings with more than four apartments, as well as the owners, i.e. the users of business and industrial buildings that do not prepare protection and rescue plans, are obliged to have a "Fire House Rules", posted in a visible place in the building. The fire house rules referred to in paragraph 1 of this article, contain: fire protection measures appropriate to the living and working conditions in the building; organization of fire protection and instructions for the procedure in case of fire - specified in Article 79 of this Law.

According to the Regulation on Fire, Explosion and Hazardous Substances Protection Measures, fire protection requirements must be taken into account even when designing buildings. Thus, residential buildings with a height of more than 22 meters are designed and constructed with fire escape stairs, which are not used under normal conditions, and can be constructed inside the building or from its outside. It is especially important that they are fully functional so that tenants can evacuate in the event of a fire, and whether they are functional should be controlled by inspectors at the Directorate for Protection and Rescue during regular or extraordinary inspections following a report from tenants about the impassability of the safety stairs.

In residential buildings that are lower than 22 meters, fire exits should be designed through stairwells that are of sufficient width, free, unobstructed and with the maximum length of the evacuation routes up to 20 meters.

Previous field analyses have shown that in most buildings where there are fire escapes, there is no possibility of unhindered evacuation, because the tenants have usurped them and turned them into "pantries". In lower buildings, however, where the entrances are connected via terraces or staircases, the approaches are mostly impassable because the building has been allowed to be extended in the meantime or the tenants from the upper floors have usurped them for their own needs.