Residents of Astana have been urged not to install illegal fences in courtyards and to ensure that cars do not block entrances, reports infohub.kz.
According to Kazinform, the city's emergency department (DEC) has asked citizens not to erect unauthorized barriers on residential territories and not to park vehicles in a way that blocks access to buildings.
Inspections have already revealed 192 violations of fire safety requirements. To date, 117 of them have been eliminated, which is about 61%. The remaining 75 violations remain under control.
“The most typical violations include blocking evacuation routes, malfunctioning or improper maintenance of fire protection systems, absence or malfunction of primary fire extinguishing means, and parking vehicles on driveways to buildings, hindering the passage of fire trucks,” said Gabit Babaev, deputy head of the state fire control department of Astana's emergency department.
According to him, raids have uncovered illegally installed concrete blocks, posts, chains, and other barriers, as well as cars parked in violation of requirements and obstructing fire truck access.
The emergency department reminded that residents should not install fences on residential territories if they could restrict access for emergency services. It is also important to follow parking rules: do not leave cars in a way that blocks fire truck access.
Earlier this year, deputy Olzhas Kuspekov proposed introducing fire corridors near houses and allowing rescuers to remove or damage obstructing vehicles. However, the Ministry of Emergency Situations issued a statement categorically opposing the initiative to allow rescuers to ram cars that block passage.