A survey of old building fire alarm systems’ situation shows the effectiveness of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department’s actions, which will be extended from two months to two years, the department said on Thursday.

The department at the beginning of the year officially launched Operation Outpost — an initiative targeting 1,500 buildings. During the action, investigators found that fire alarm systems in 53 buildings violated regulations.

The department issued over 2,500 fire hazard abatement notices and initiated legal proceedings against 75 owners of fire alarm systems for fire-safety equipment violations, an action that involved about 1,200 summonses.

The department urged those fire-alarm system owners to address the damage and restore the systems to operation as soon as possible, and will extend Operation Outpost to two years, aiming to inspect another 5,000 older buildings.

Law Kin-san, acting senior divisional officer (policy), said: “During the action, we discovered the causes of the failure of fire alarms, including signal problems on some control boards, some electrical problems, such as aging fuses or problems with the electrical system, and also wiring problems or starting components, such as some malfunctions of the push button or fire alarm bell. Besides being damaged, we found that those fire alarm systems also lacked annual inspections.”