Singapore Civil Defence Force
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The Singapore Civil Defence Force (abbreviation: SCDF; Chinese: 新加坡民防部队; Malay: Pasukan Pertahanan Awam Singapura) is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.
A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the SCDF provides ambulance, fire fighting and emergency response services to the Republic of Singapore. It also plays a major role in the Republic's disaster relief operations.
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[edit] Organisation Structure
Formally, the SCDF is branched into 6 Operational and Training Divisions beneath the Headquarters Element. Of these six, four are known as Operational Divisions, also known as Territorial Divisions, and each cover vast sections of Singapore corresponding roughly to the four cardinal points of the compass. Each of the divisions possess their own bunkered and mobile Command Centres, Hazmat response capabilities, as well as full internal administration structures.
The two core training establishments, namely the Civil Defence Academy (CDA) and Basic Rescue Training Centre (BRTC), while not covering any territory or have any primarily operational concerns, are recognised as divisions unto themselves with full administration, supply and support units. These units, however, would become operationally active divisions in times of emergency or war.
[edit] Headquarters
The Headquarters complex of SCDF contains the Command Centre for all operations nationwide. It is co-located with the DART (Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team) Base, Central Supply Base and Paya Lebar Fire Station in a secure compound off Ubi Avenue. In addition to command and control, logistics, and operational facilities, HQ SCDF is also made up of an administration structure consisting of numerous staff departments. These staff departments, listed below, coordinate and carry out the administration of various key aspects of the Force, under the command of the Commissioners and Department Directors.
- Operations Department
- Services and Support Unit
- Planning Department
- Medical Department
- Training Department
- Service Quality Department
- Technology Department
- Logistics Department
- Public Affairs Department
- Manpower Department
- Finance Department
- National Service Personnel Department
- Fire Safety and Shelter Department
- HazMat Department (Formerly HazMat Branch in Operations Department)
[edit] Operational Divisions
- The 1st Division oversees operations in the general south of Singapore, stretching from Clementi to the Central Business District (CBD). It is also in charge of Jurong Island, an important oil refining centre. The division headquarters is located at Queensway, behind Alexandra Hospital, together with the Queenstown Police Centre and Alexandra Fire Station.
- The 2nd Division oversees operations in the east of Singapore, including Paya Lebar, where the HQ complex is located, as well as Changi Airport. The headquarters are located in Tampines, co-located with the Tampines Fire Station.
- The 3rd Division covers the northern segment of Singapore, and is headquartered at Yishun together with Yishun Fire Station.
- The 4th Division oversees operations in the west of Singapore, and is headquartered at Bukit Batok, together with Bukit Batok Fire Station.
[edit] Training Divisions
- The Basic Rescue Training Centre (BRTC) trains primarily enlistees, with a new battalion of 3-4 companies passing out every quarter with competency in basic rescue skills as well as an adequate level of fitness. The BRTC complex also houses a Special Rescue Battalion. In response to the problem of conscripts who are reluctant to serve national service, a detention block with razor wire fences installed around the building also exists at the new training centre at Jalan Bahar as in other SAF military camps. While co-located next to each other since the relocation of the BRTC in 2006 to a brand new complex, the BRTC is not to be confused with the Civil Defence Academy.
- The Civil Defence Academy (CDA) conducts training courses for various vocations and specialisations, ranging from firefighters to medics to physical training instructors (PTIs) and officers, both senior and junior. Although primarily to prepare recruits freshly graduated from the BRTC for operational duty, the CDA also frequently hosts guest trainees from outside the SCDF, including fire brigades and emergency crews from other nations. While courses such as the International Fire-fighting Course are specially designed and held for these guests, some of these guests trainees train together with Singapore trainees in the Emergency Response Specialist (ERS) Course and/or Basic Officer Course (BOC), graduating together with NSFs and regulars as either junior specialist or senior officers.
Both the BRTC and CDA complexes are co-located in Choa Chu Kang, along Jalan Bahar Road.
[edit] Appliances
The Singapore Civil Defence Force maintains a large fleet of custom-made vehicles (referred to as appliances) to provide an emergency response force capable of mitigating any and all kinds of fires and disasters. Ranging from the generic fire truck and ambulance, to more sophisticated mobile command structures and disaster mitigation vehicles such as Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Pods, many of the appliances were designed and commissioned by the Force itself which prides itself in customising its own fleet as opposed to obtaining ready-made designs from industries. This is directed towards improving the Force's response capability towards an increasingly large variety of emergency scenarios and threats, in addition to basic firefighting and paramedical services, particularly in the Singapore context.
The following list of appliances is not exhaustive, and is grouped according to application as well as the order of scale of response capability.
[edit] Paramedical Response Vehicles
- Fast Response Paramedic (FRP)
- Essentially a paramedic on a heavy motorcycle with a small array of portable first aid equipment and tools, the FRP is meant to provide the most rapid form of emergency medical response. This is especially useful when there are traffic jams on roads leading to an incident site which would delay a conventional ambulance.
- Ambulance
- Often referred to as the "Alpha", the red and white SCDF ambulance forms the backbone of Singapore's medical emergency response capability, and is the most widely-deployed appliance. Each ambulance is staffed by an ambulance driver, a paramedic, and a medical orderly. Occasionally, a Fire & Rescue Specialist or ERS trainee may also be attached to an ambulance unit.
- SWIFT (Station With Immediate First-aid Treatment)
- The SWIFT is a "Transformer" vehicle, and functions as a mobile hospital. On the roads, it takes the form of a vehicle roughly the size of a small bus, and expands on both sides when it reaches the incident site. When fully deployed, it is capable of treating a large number of patients concurrently on operating tables that slide out beneath its "wings".
- This vehicle is seldom used other than for mass-casualty events requiring on-site treatment capabilities.
[edit] Firefighting Appliances
- Fire Bike
- The fire bike is essentially operate by a firefighter on a motorbike, equipped with an impulse water canon. The fire bikes are often deployed as rapid-response units or scouts to minor incidents, such as small fires. They are often backed up by a Red Rhino (refer below).
- Light Fire Attack Vehicle (LFAV "Red Rhino")
- A brainchild of the SCDF's Commissioner and known affectionately as the "Red Rhino", the LFAV is an all-terrain vehicle with a small pump and monitor turret capable of seating 4-5 responders. It is seen around the country parked near to Fire Posts, and is designed to traverse off roads to aid in firefighting of densely built-up areas without road access which conventional Pumper-Ladders may not be able to reach.
- The Red Rhino was designed and conceptualised in Singapore, being manufactured by the company Delgro.
- Rapid Mitigation Vehicle (RMV)
- A variation of the original LFAV Red Rhino, the Rapid Mitigation Vehicle uses a long-range water mist monitor instead of a standard Apollo water monitor to save water and more effectively combat fire.
- Pump-Ladder (PL)
- The pumper ladder is otherwise known as the generic Fire Engine. It is one of the mainstays of SCDF's firefighting capability, and is the vehicle most often seen at the scene of a fire.
- The PL typically carries a wide range of equipments required for emergencies, ranging from hoses, to breathing apparatuses, to rescue equipments such as the hydraulic spreader cutter and to chemical agent suits required for Hazmat decontamination or mitigation incidents before the arrival of a Hazmat team.
- Combined Platform-Ladder (CPL)
- Pictured near the top of this article, the CPL is basically a PL with a hydraulic ladder-platform which can be raised high enough for height rescue and firefighting, such as with a high-rise apartment fire. Models such as the Bronto CPL can reach heights up to 32 metres.
- Aerial Ladder (AL)
- A vehicle with a superstructure and rescue cage that is 60 metres in length. It is primarily used during height rescues for trapped victims during emergency situations. It can also be used to combat fires through external fire-fighting.
- Tracked Firefighting Vehicle (TFV)
- Several Bandvagn 206 (Bv206) were transferred from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to the SCDF, painted in the SCDF colours of red and white, and subsequently fitted with the necessary firefighting equipment and capabilities. The TFV is designed for use in forested areas where wheeled vehicles may have difficulty in reaching.
[edit] Hazmat Appliances
- HazMat Enforcement Bikes
- Since 2006, the SCDF has implemented a nationwide monitoring system for vehicles carrying Hazardous Materials, such as fuel, in which their position is tracked from SCDF and Police HQ. When a certain vehicle carrying, for example, high explosives, approaches a zone to which it is out of bounds, such as the downtown Central Business District, an alarm will trigger and SCDF will disable the vehicle as well as dispatch enforcement bikes quickly to the location to deal with the errant vehicle.
- The enforcement bikes are ridden by Provost officers, and may be backed up by the police, to mitigate the threat posed by such a vehicle by securing it and moving it away from the area.
- Hazmat Decon Pod
- The Hazmat Decon Pod sucks in contaminated air and purifies it at a high rate in order to remove atmospheric toxic material and render an area more hospitable for work following a chemical, biological or radiological (CBR) incident.
- Personnel Decontamination Vehicle (PDV)
- The size of a large bus, the PDV is one of the largest operational appliances that the SCDF has. It is the main mode of transport and response of the Special Rescue Battalion, housed at the BRTC. It is also designed to cater for mass casualty incidents involving (CBR) substances, and is fully equipped to decontaminate, by shower, a large amount of casualties at one go when deployed.
- Outside HazMat incidents, it functions as a troop carrier for the SRB, as well as a super-ambulance capable of evacuating an entire busload of casualties to hospital for treatment.
- Special Decontamination vehicle (SDV)
- The SDV, in addition to performing the function of the Hazmat Decon Pod, also decontaminates the terrain with a large amount of water and carries specialised equipment used by the Special Rescue Battalion.
[edit] Command Elements
- Command Post (CP)
- Roughly larger than an ambulance, the Command Post is deployed to incident sites (such as a building collapse) together with a rescue battalion where co-ordination of rescue and recovery efforts takes place.
- Hazmat Command Vehicle (HCV)
- The Hazmat Command Vehicle is essentially a Command Post specifically designed for command and control during a CBR incident. It is equipped for this task with a wide array of instruments and sensors which can, for example, monitor and help predict toxic material presence and dispersion in the wind.
- Forward Command Vehicle (FCV)
- The FCV is a larger version of the command post, and is deployed at the Division Level. It serves the purpose of a mobile communications and control centre and is deployed during more serious incidents requiring division-level advanced command capabilities.
- Command Vehicle (CV)
- SCDF maintains a fleet of 5 Command Vehicles, which together function as a mobile headquarters command and control centre. The vehicles are the size of a large bus, and when deployed, the body of the vehicle stretches to thrice its size on the road, allowing ample space inside the vehicle for personnel and essential computer and communications equipment.
- These Command Vehicles are only deployed to strategic locations to provide forward tactical headquarters capability in major incidents or high-risk events, such as the recent IMF-World Bank conference held in Singapore in 2006.
[edit] Special Vehicles
- Breathing Apparatus Tender (BAT)
- A vehicle carrying a large number of breathing apparatus and associated equipment is often deployed to scenarios involving fires in confined spaces, to provide for rescue operations in such an environments. An example of such a scenario that this vehicle would respond to is a basement fire.
- Foam Tender
- The Foam Tender is a Firefighting Appliance capable of storing and discharging large amounts of foam, in addition to water, to mitigate situations in which fuel or chemicals may pose a threat, including aircraft accidents. The Foam Tender also carries the special Minimax foam which is used only in incidences approved by the Commissioner.
- Large Monitor Vehicle (LMV)
- The LMV is a vehicle designed to tow the 2000GPM Patriot (Large Monitor) and 6000GPM ('Big Gun'). It is a Firefighting Appliance unique to Jurong Island Fire Station, primarily used in Oil Tank fires.
- Special Rescue Tender (SRT)
- The special rescue tender, used primarily by the DART unit, is equipped with specialised rescue equipment for incidents that require special tools and skills, such as high angle rescues (such as from a cable car), suicide attempts, and structural collapses. An example of equipment carried includes breathing apparatus and life detection equipment.
- Heavy Rescue Tender (HRT)
- Like the SRT, the HRT is used primarily by the DART unit, and carries specialised equipment catering to uncommon or major incidents, such as structural collapses and underwater rescue. The special equipment is carried in mobular containers which can be interchanged to suit the operation before being deployed, and the vehicle possesses a crane as well.
[edit] History
For decades since its founding by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British colony of Singapore had no formal fire fighting force. Fire fighting was carried out using a cart of water and hand pump, and involved the police, sepoys, marine soldiers and even convicts.
It is not until 1869 that the colonial government took the matter seriously and set up a Fire Brigade. A number of volunteer brigades were formed, but they were a motley crew and failed dismally when put to the task, performing no better than their predecessors.
Following the establishment of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in England in 1866 and other fire-fighting systems in America, the Municipal Commission finally took over the responsibility of fire protection and established the Singapore Fire Brigade in 1888. It was supplied with new engines from Europe and fire stations were built with living quarters for trained and paid fire fighters.
From 1908, horse-drawn engines were replaced by motorised versions. The same year, the Central Fire Station along Hill Street was officially opened.
In 1917 a motor ambulance was acquired by the Hospitals Board, and was put on loan to the Fire Brigade until the Hospital Buildings were completed. When an ambulance service for accident cases was established in March 1928, it was put under the purview of the Fire Brigade.
The early 1920s saw the introduction of 'Special Services' that did not pertain to putting out a fire. Over time it came to include services such as:
- using pumps to alleviate a flood
- stand guard at functions where there were huge crowds
- extricate accident victims
- rescuing trapped or stranded people
In March 1939 an Auxiliary Fire Service was formed to increase preparedness, in anticipation of war.
The Fire Brigade continued to operate throughout the war years despite the internment of its senior officers by the occupying Japanese forces.
After the war, The Civil Defence Ordinance was passed in 1949 and the Auxiliary Fire Service was re-established in 1952 as part of the civil defence plan. It was eventually disbanded in 1961.
May 25 1961 saw the Bukit Ho Swee Fire ravage 250 acres (1 km²), killing 4 and injuring 85. It remains the most extensive fire to date.
On November 21, 1972 the Robinsons Fire destroyed the famed department store, killing 9, including a pregnant woman. It caused damages estimated at S$21 million. It was this blaze that led to the first Fire Code in 1974.
From 1976, National Service extended to the Fire Brigade.
In 1980, the name of the Singapore Fire Brigade was changed to the Singapore Fire Service (SFS).
In 1981 the Civil Defence Command was formed under the wing of the Singapore Police Force to spearhead emergency preparedness for the nation. In 1982, a new National Civil Defence Plan was launched. In 1983 the Civil Defence Command was renamed the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
1984 saw SCDF launch the emergency number "995", which has been in use to this date. (Previous numbers used include 5555, 328111 and 3378111)
In 1986, purview of the SCDF was handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the MRT Strike Force was formed to deal with emergencies in the underground tunnels of the Mass Rapid Transit system, which were then under construction.
On 15 March the same year, the Hotel New World collapsed, killing 33 people. 17 were rescued. This incident saw joint operations between the SCDF and the SFS.
The SCDF and the SFS were integrated on 15 April 1989 to form the Singapore Civil Defence Force as we know it today.
In May 1990 the elite Disaster Assistance & Rescue Team (DART) unit was formed. That July, SCDF embarked on its first overseas disaster relief operation in Baguio, Philippines, following an earthquake.
In 1991 the first sirens of the island-wide Public Warning System were installed. These were first tested in 1992.
1993 saw SCDF rescuers dispatched to the scene of a collapsed 12-storey building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In July 1995 the Fire Investigation Section was formed. This subsequently became the Fire Investigation Branch.
In 1999 the Civil Defence Academy (CDA) in Chua Chu Kang was opened. The same year, a rescue team was dispatched to Taichung, Taiwan, to assist in rescue operations following an earthquake.
On 15 April 2000, the Home Affairs Minister Mr Wong Kan Seng unveiled the locally designed and built Light Fire Attack Vehicles, affectionately known as 'Red Rhinos'. He also launched the Paramedic Service and commissioned 30 fire-bikes.
In 2001 the new SCDF HQ Complex was opened in Ubi, near Paya Lebar. A number of Fire Stations and Fire Posts were also opened.
In 2002 the SCDF conducted the first Open Mobilisation of its National Servicemen over broadcast media.
In 2003, to counter the threat of biological and chemical agents and/or accidents, the Special Rescue Battalion (SRB) was formed, equipped with locally designed decontamination vehicles (PDV, SDV), specialised rescue equipment, and the necessary expertise. HAZMAT training was also conducted for a new breed of SCDF personnel: the Emergency Response Specialists (ERS).
The SCDF, together with the Singapore Armed Forces, responded to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, dispatching personnel and equipment in a massive rescue and reconstruction operation. By then, the rescue and relief operations conducted overseas came to be known as Operation Lionheart. In that year, SCDF was also involved in two major local incidents, namely the collapse of Nicoll Highway and the Fusionpolis worksite collapse.
International relief efforts were also undertaken in 2005 Assisting in the combating of forest fires in Sumatra and also in the wake of natural disasters around the globe, especially the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Back home in the same year, a new SCDF building at Queensway was opened to house the 1st Division HQ, Queesntown Police Centre, Alexandra Fire Station, and Home Team Public Education Centre. Large-scale simulations of urban biological/chemical terrorism incidents involving mass casualties and infrastructure destruction were carried out as well to increase preparedness. SCDF also began enforcing regulation on the transportation of hazardous materials island-wide.
In the year 2006, the SCDF Basic Rescue Training Centre (BRTC) vacated its old premises, and moved into a new complex adjacent to the existing Civil Defence Academy. The Division Headquarters for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions also moved into new integrated complexes in February to accommodate an expansion of operational capabilities, a minor restructuring, as well as a massive effort at modernising the Force. Unfortunately, SCDF suffered its first casualty since 1981 when Sergeant Shaik Amran, 24 died while on duty on 20 January 2006 in a traffic accident. (CNA)
[edit] Ranks
As a uniformed organisation under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the SCDF has a strict ranking system almost identical to that of other Home Team uniformed organisations although the titles used closely follow that of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
SCDF ranks displayed on shoulder epaulettes with the words "CIVIL DEFENCE" at the bottom.
- For No. 4 Field Dress Uniform, the epaulettes are the same shade of dark blue as the rest of the uniform, with white markings.
- For No. 3 Formal Dress Uniform, the epaulettes are black in colour with gold markings.
These ranks feature the following charges:
- Chevrons
- a V-shaped marking
- Curved Bar
- a U-shaped marking
- Pips
- Four-sided starbursts with the crescent and stars from the National Arms of Singapore at the centre
- Rank version of the National Coat of Arms
- The National Arms of Singapore when used as a rank insignia is rendered differently from its original depiction. The rank version of the National Arms still depicts the lion, tiger and the shield with the crescent & five stars. However, the rank version of the National Arms replaces the original water spurts with palm laurels and does away with the motto-scroll bearing "Majulah Singapura"
- Commissioner's Badge
The ranks are displayed here in descending order from highest seniority at the top to lowest at the bottom.
[edit] Commissioners
- Commissioner - Commissioner's Badge, topped with a pip and the National Arms, in that order
- The current Commissioner is Commissioner James Tan
- (DC) Deputy Commissioner - Commissioner's Badge, topped with the National Arms
- The current Deputy Commissioner is DC Peter Lim
- (SAC) Senior Asst. Commissioner - Commissioner's Badge, topped with two pips
- The current Senior Asst. Commissioner is SAC Puniamoorthy
- (AC) Asst. Commissioner - Commissioner's Badge, topped with a pip
- There is no current AC. The previous AC was AC Jackson Lim
Note that for the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, the National Arms in the rank insignia is highlighted red.
[edit] Commissioned Officers (Senior Officers)
- (COL) Colonel - three National Arms
- (LTC) Lieutenant-Colonel - two National Arms
- (MAJ) Major - one National Arms
- (CPT) Captain - three pips
- (LTA) Lieutenant - two pips
[edit] Warrant Officers
- (SWO) 1st Senior Warrant Officer - National Arms enclosed by a curved bar below and four inverted chevrons above
- (SWO2) 2nd Senior Warrant Officer - National Arms enclosed by a curved bar below and three inverted chevrons above
- (WO1) 1st Warrant Officer - National Arms enclosed by a curved bar below and two inverted chevrons above
- (WO2) 2nd Warrant Officer - National Arms enclosed by a curved bar below and an inverted chevron above
[edit] Specialists (Junior Officers)
- (SSG) Staff Sergeant - three chevrons topped with the National Arms
- (SGT) Sergeant - three chevrons
[edit] Emergency Response Specialists and Basic Officer Course
- (OCT) Senior BOC - two horizontal bars
- (OCT) Junior BOC - one horizontal bar
- (SCT) Senior ERS - two inverted chevrons
- (SCT) Junior ERS - one inverted chevron
[edit] Non-Comissioned Officers
- (CPL) Corporal - two chevrons
- (LCP) Lance Corporal - one chevron
- (PTE) Private - no insignia
- (REC) Recruit - no insignia
[edit] Decorations
[edit] Specialist Titles
- HAZMAT - Hazardous Materials Specialist
- DART - Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team Specialist.
- Paramedic - Ambulance Paramedical Specialist
Such specialists are identified with an additional tab badge bearing the titles worn on the top of the sleeve.
[edit] Badges
- Fire Badge
- Paracounsellor Badge
- Paramedic Badge
- Medical Orderly Badge
- Civil Defence Triangle - Awarded to personnel who participated in the Hotel New World disaster
The above badges are worn above the left breast pocket, higher up from service medals or ribbons, and typically identify personnel with major specialist training and/or experience.
Gold and Silver Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) Badges that signify personnel with outstanding physical proficiency are worn on the left sleeve, beneath any Specialist title decorations.
[edit] In popular culture
Fictional Television programs
- Fiery Passion (烈焰焚情), 12 February 1992
- On the Frontline (穿梭生死线), 2000
- Life Line, 2005
- Without Warning 26 October 2006
- Life Line 2, 15 May 2007
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Joan Hon (1988). 100 Years of the Singapore Fire Service. Times Books International. ISBN 9971-65-513-6.
