Organization

The Licensing and Certification Command enforces fire safety regulations and policies, as well as assists and advises the public on fire protection measures and the abatement of fire hazard.

The Licensing and Policy Division emcompasses the Policy Group and the Licensing Group under its purview. The Policy Group mainly deals with the formulation and review of policy, procedural instructions and guidelines on fire protection matters and conducts researches on relevant issues. Licensing Group, which is composed of Hong Kong, Kowloon West, Kowloon East and New Territories Licensing Office, is responsible for formulating fire safety requirements, offering advice to relevant Government authorities and certifying the fire safety provisions of licensed / registered premises for the purposes of licensing and registration of those premises by the Government authorities. In addition, Licensing Group also carries out complaint inspections and takes necessary enforcement actions in licensed / registered premises.

The Dangerous Goods Legislation Division is responsible for coordinating the legislative amendment exercise of the Dangerous Goods Ordinance, Cap. 295 and its subsidiary legislation, formulating and implementing dangerous goods control policies and measures, as well as promoting the planning and development of dangerous goods stores to keep up with the development of safety control of dangerous goods in Hong Kong. The Division also handles prosecution matters of the Department.

The Dangerous Goods Control Division is responsible for handling the licence application for the manufacture, storage and use of dangerous goods.

The Dangerous Goods Enforcement Division is responsible for handling the licence application for dangerous goods vehicles, Class 9A dangerous goods and timber stores; handling the application for the approval of pressure receptacles; and handling the registration of approved person under the Dangerous Goods Ordinance.

The Fire Protection Facilities Supervision Division is responsible for inspecting fire service installations in existing buildings, handling complaints regarding building fire service installations, monitoring the professional standards of registered fire service installation contractors and taking law enforcement action where necessary. The Fire Protection Facilities Supervision Division also answers enquiries from the public, Authorized Persons, E&M consultants, Fire Service Installation contractors and other government departments with respect to the technical aspects of fire service installations.

The Fire Protection Engineering Compliance Division consists of Fire Protection Facilities Group and Ventilating Systems Group. The Fire Protection Facilities Group is responsible for inspecting and approving fire service installations in buildings and monitoring the professional standards of registered fire service installation contractors. The Ventilating Systems Group plays an important role in monitoring ventilating system of new buildings and licensed premises, carrying out acceptance inspection and test to such systems to ensure the integrity of fire compartmentation is being properly maintained.

The Administration Group of this Command handles administrative matters, provides clerical and secretarial support and deals with the registration of fire service installation contractors.

Fire Officers of Licensing and Certification Command are also seconded to Home Affairs Department form “The Licensing Authority Division” to inspect and formulate Fire Services requirements for hotels, guesthouses, private clubs and bedspace apartments; and to take enforcement action on those hotels, guesthouses, club-houses, bedspace apartments and karaoke establishments which have not obtained a license, permit or certificate of compliance. Fire Officers of Licensing and Certification Command are also seconded to Social Welfare Department to advise on fire protection measures in residential care homes for the elderly.