High-rise buildings must have infrastructural measures in place that facilitate rescue operations, as accessing towers from the outside is not viable, according to the Civil Protection Department.

The department currently has four fire engines that can reach a height of 12 storeys, which is not adequate to deal with emergencies in high-rise buildings. To address this, the department is looking into upgrading its fleet to include equipment that reaches a height of 18 storeys.

However, such equipment would still not be enough in cases of emergency inside high-rises, Civil Protection Department senior operations manager Peter Paul Coleiro said.

Instead, the “primary and main line of defence against fires in high-rise buildings” would be preventive measures and internal firefighting efforts, he said.

In recent months, private investors have put forward several plans for projects, including high-rises, mainly in the Paceville and Sliema area.

The primary and main line of defence against fires in high-rise buildings will be preventive measures and internal firefighting efforts

Residents and NGOs irked by the recent flurry of plans and proposals have chastised the Planning Authority and the government for not yet coming up with a holistic plan to deal with the overall impact of such buildings.

“Any building that is higher than 18 metres in height is to be considered a tall building and therefore such a building requires internal firefighting and structural features that assist in rescue efforts,” Mr Coleiro said.

The operations manager insisted that this would require preventive measures that allowed firefighters to reach any part of the building at any given time.

“These should include firefighting shafts, fire compartments, protected lobbies, fire doors, dry risers, wet risers and sprinkler systems.

“Positive pressure systems should also be imposed to ensure that in the event of a fire or rescue, damage is contained and the emergency services are in a position to reach anywhere within the building,” Mr Coleiro said.

Such preventive measures, he went on, were requested at the planning stage by the department through the Planning Authority application system and added that they were determined depending on the height, width, complexity and location of the proposed building.

“While having aerial platforms helps in low-level rescues, it is important to note that other factors such as weather may influence the ability of aerial platforms and turntable ladders to effect high-level rescues,” he said, insisting on the importance of such structures having preventive measures in place.

At least two of the proposed projects would rise to over 40 floors, reaching skyscraper status, with others in the area following close behind.