A draft amendment to the Fire Control Law, deliberated by Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday, specifies responsibilities and strengthens social institutions' role in fire control to curb risks and mitigate damage.
The draft was submitted for first review to the second session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.
Public venues and enterprises that produce, store, transport or market inflammable or explosive materials should have fire insurance, it said.
Apart from fire control departments under the Ministry of Public Security, grassroots police stations are also given responsibilities for fire control, according to the amendment.
These stations were bestowed the power to impose administrative punishment ranging from a warning to a maximum fine of 500 yuan (about 71.40 U.S. dollars) on violators of fire control regulations.