Exercise Blackhole At CTE

Picture this. A coach had collided into the wall of the Central Expressway (CTE) tunnel, leaving many injured passengers strewn on the road. Numerous drums of unknown substance fell from a lorry that was involved in the accident and started to emit vapours. A car in the background was in full blaze.

No, this was not a scenario from a Hollywood blockbuster but an exercise scenario codenamed “Exercise Blackhole”, which tested the different SCDF operational capabilities, including firefighting, first responder’s Hazmat proficiency, road-traffic-accident extrication operations and mass casualty evacuation. The exercise was also designed to test a multi-agency response with the Traffic police and Land Transport Authority in such tunnel incidents.

Conducted in the wee hours of 14 June 2009, Central Fire Station (Station 11) appliances were activated by the SCDF Operations Centre after being notified by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) control. Upon seeing the SCDF fire-bikers approach, the LTA on-site marshals opened up a vehicle cross passage door in the middle of the tunnel to allow the bikers to bypass the traffic jam to reach the incident site.

The fire-bikers quickly armed themselves with their impulse guns and went towards the car to mitigate the fire. Pump Ladder 111 soon arrived and set up two jets, one for the fire and the other to protect the crew from the fumes emitting from the fallen drums. The Disaster Assistance Rescue Team was activated to conduct extrication operations for the victims trapped within the car. As part of the SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) for such incident, the LTA also simultaneously turned on the huge overhead fans in the CTE Tunnel to ventilate the smoke.

The Special Rescue Battalion was swiftly deployed to conduct snatch-rescue for the more than 20 injured coach passengers, while support was given to those victims with light injuries. The Hazmat Incident Team (HIT) from the Alexandra Fire Station was also activated. Donning their High Performance Suits, the team proceeded to examine the leaking drums. They were able to successfully seal the leak, and evacuate the victims from within the contaminated zone.

Written by CPT Andy Tan from Central Fire Station. You can read the original article from August issue of Rescue 995, an SCDF bi-monthly publication.

Operations Lionheart – Padang, Indonesia

In response to the massive earthquake that struck West Sumatra province, Indonesia on 30th September 2009 and 1st October 2009, SCDF deployed an overseas rescue contingent (codenamed Operation Lionheart) to Padang City, Sumatra.

Led by LTC Kadir Maideen, Commander of 2nd CD Division, the 42-member Operation Lionheart Contingent included experienced officers from SCDF’s elite Disaster Assistance & Rescue Team (DART). The contingent departed from Paya Lebar Airbase at 2100hrs (local time) on 2nd October 2009 onboard two RSAF C-130 military aircrafts. Commissioner Peter Lim, Commissioner SCDF was at Paya Lebar Airbase to send off the contingent.

The SCDF Operation Lionheart Contingent arrived at Minangkabau International Airport, 23km northwest of Padang, at 2130 hrs (Local Time) on 2 October 2009. The 42-member strong rescue contingent set up base camp in Padang, where they were briefed on the latest situation. Following ground assessment done at several locations, the SCDF teams were deployed to carry out search and rescue operations at two locations. A 11-man team led by DART Commander LTC Alvin Tan, was deployed to the collapsed Hotel Dipo International (a 4 storey building), southern area outside of Padang. The team carried out search and rescue operations using fibre-optic scope and pneumatic drill. SCDF search dogs were used to detect the possibility of victims trapped under the rubbles of the collapsed building.  A second 13-man team, led by Contingent Commander LTC Kadir Maideen carried out search and rescue operations at a collapsed library (4 storey building), opposite Hotel Dipo International. 

At 0200hrs (Local Time) on 5th October 2009, the local authorities announced the end of the rescue phase and that international assistance for search and rescue operations will no longer be required. ASEAN Secretary General, Dr Surin Pitsuwan visited the SCDF Lionheart Contingent at their base camp on 06 Oct 2009, Tuesday at 1215hrs (local time). Dr Surin was briefed by Contingent Commander, LTC Kadir Maideen on the search and rescue efforts and support rendered by the team for the past four days. Dr Surin expressed his gratitude to the Singapore team for rendering assistance to a fellow ASEAN member country. LTC Kadir Maideen, Contingent Commander, also visited Prof (Dr) Marlis Rahman, Vice-Governor of West Sumatra, at his office. Prof (Dr) Marlis Rahman expressed his appreciation to SCDF’s contingent for our assistance rendered and presented LTC Kadir with a memento.

39 members of the 42-member SCDF Lionheart Contingent returned to Singapore on 8 October 09 (Thursday) at 2.45pm in 2 RSAF C-130 aircrafts. A 3-man SCDF medical team, comprising a Doctor and two Paramedics, were deployed to assist the SAF Medical Team at its medical facility in Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Pariaman (Pariaman Hospital) since 7 October 2009. They will return to Singapore together with the SAF Medical Team upon the completion of their medical mission.

DART commander LTC Alvin brief the locals

DART rescuer using a fibre-optic scope

SCDF Search Dog Team

Loading of equipment on C-130

Setting up of base camp

SCDF Ops Lionheart Team

DART rescuers @ work with hydraulic ramps

Overview of post-quake damages

SCDF personnel @ work

Searching under the rubbles

Collapsed roofs

Search Dog @ work

SCDF officers corresponding with local rescuers

SCDF Rescue dog checks below rubbles

Looking for survivors @ the Hotel site

Comr SCDF receives the Ops Lionheart contingent

Ops Lionheart personnel reunites with their family and friends

No Need to Panic for Tremors

Earth tremors were reported in certain parts of Singapore at about 6.16 pm on 30 Sept 09 soon after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Sumatra Coast and after another quake struck Indonesia, 155 km northwest of Bengkulu at 9.31am local time (0131 GMT, 0831am Singapore time) on 1/10/09.

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Police have received more than 150 calls from the public reporting these tremors. Areas that felt the tremors include Woodands, Sembawang, Yishun, Bt Panjang, Bt Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Teck Whye, Holland Close, Bedok Reservoir, Marine Parade, Aljunied Crescent , Edgedale Plains, Coller Quay, Shenton Way , Robinson, Marina Square , Bras Basah, Battery Road and Temasek Blvd. No reports of injury nor law and order concerns have been received so far.

The public is advised that there is no cause for alarm. Buildings in Singapore are designed to establish building codes and are sufficiently robust to withstand tremors caused by distant earthquakes.

Members  of  public  who are indoors during the tremors should take  cover  under  a table and keep away from items made of glass or any  hanging  objects.  They should not use the lift or use any naked light,  in  case  there  is a gas leak. For members of public who are outdoors during the tremors, they should remain in the open away from buildings and overhead electrical cables.

Once  the vibrations have stopped, the public should check for any  visible  sign of structural defects on building elements such as new cracks on the walls, floors, parapet, columns and beams. If there are  no  new  cracks, it is generally safe to remain in the building. Evacuation  is  only  necessary  when  there  are  visible  signs  of structural defects on building elements.

Should cracks or other structural defects develop, residents or occupants   in   public  housing  estates  should  call  the  Housing Development  Board’s  Essential  Maintenance  Service  Unit’s 24-Hour Hotline  at  6275  5555 or 6354 3333 while those in private buildings should  call  the  Building  & Construction Authority at 6325 7191 or 6325 7393.

A more detailed advisory is available on the SCDF website.

Building a Community of Responders on Pulau Ubin

Separated from our mainland, Pulau Ubin is a popular weekend haunt for nature lovers, campers, cyclists and anglers. But with the influx of transient visitors to the island, there have been reported cases of injuries to cyclists and pockets of small fires. In collaboration with the Siglap Civil Defence Executive Committee and Changi-Ubin Area Sub-Committee, SCDF’s 2^nd Civil Defence Division conducted a Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP) to help the island’s residents and business community to handle their safety and security concerns on 21 Jun 2009.

While the main target participants were the residents and stall holders at Pulau Ubin, the event also attracted many local and foreign visitors on the island. They were taught the basic first-aid treatment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) application and firefighting using fire extinguishers. In the words of the village chief, Mr Ali: “The training will definitely benefit us here in Pulau Ubin. More importantly, we are now equipped with the basic skills and knowledge of first-aid and firefighting to assist others in need”.

Such appreciation made the bumboat ride back to Changi Jetty after the event, a sweet one for the CSSP organizers.

Written by MAJ Alauddin from 2nd CD Division. You can read the original article from August issue of Rescue 995, an SCDF bi-monthly publication.

Tertiary Students Pick Up Life Skills

Enthusiasm. That’s the word to describe the 550 first year students from the School of Architecture and the Built Environment in Singapore Polytechnic who went through the pilot Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) programme in Jul 2009.

The SCDF has been actively training the population in emergency preparedness skills through its series of training modules in CEPP. More than 400,000 individuals from secondary schools, companies and households have since benefited from the programme.

The CEPP Life Skills Programme is a new concerted effort to equip tertiary students with important life skills and increase their resilience to overcome future challenges. Such sentiments are also shared by the tertiary institutions who aim to develop well rounded-students. By incorporating CEPP as part of their “Life Skills Programme”, the students will be equipped with vital life-saving knowledge and skills so as to enhance their level of emergency preparedness, especially in the light of the current security climate.

This CEPP Life Skills Module will subsequently be rolled out in the National University of Singapore, Temasek Polytechnic, the Institute of Technical Education and various other institutions.

Written by Ms Teo Liling from SCDF Public Affairs Department. You can read the original article from August issue of Rescue 995, an SCDF bi-monthly publication.

In Case of Emergency…

Imagine that you are seriously injured in an accident. The doctors and paramedics need to contact your family, but they could not find any form of identification in your belongings. They searched through your phone list in your mobile phone but were unable to find out who to contact. This problem could be avoided if you’ve ICE-d your phone.

ICE, acronym for “In Case of Emergency” is a concept gained momentum overseas and was particularly well received after the July 2005 London bombings, which highlighted the difficulties of emergency responders to locate the relatives of unidentified victims. This September, SCDF launches an ICE Outreach Programme to encourage mobile phone users to store their emergency contacts with the prefix ICE (e.g. ICE-Husband). We believe that having a uniform approach to storing emergency contacts inside a mobile phone will enable emergency responders to rapidly identify and contact the victim’s next-of-kin in the event of an emergency.

Roving ICE Booths

ICE booths will visit the heartlands during Emergency Preparedness Days, selected shopping malls and also at the city centre as a month long drive in September 2009. Members of public who have programmed ICE contacts into their mobile phones will also be eligible to participate in a lucky draw contest.

The Roving “ICE” Booths will be at the following locations

Date Time Location 3rd & 4th Sep 2009 1100 – 1600 hrs Outside Raffles Place MRT Station 5th & 6th Sep 2009 1100 – 1800 hrs Ngee Ann City 12th & 13th Sep 2009 1100 – 1800 hrs Tampines Mall 18th & 19th Sep 2009 1100 – 1800 hrs Compass Point 26th & 27th Sep 2009 1100 – 1800 hrs Jurong Point

ICE Stickers

Leveraging on the high mobile phone penetration rate in Singapore, ICE Stickers will be given out during the road. Mobile phone users will be encouraged to paste these ICE stickers to the back of their mobile phones. These ICE Stickers will serve as indicators to emergency responders that the patient has a stored emergency contact with the prefix ICE for them to call in the event of an emergency.

To ICE your phone, simply add a new contact, input the name as ICE-Husband/Wife/Mom/Dad (whoever your ICE contact may be) and input the person’s contact number. Think carefully about who your ICE contact should be, the person should be readily available and is able to make critical decisions on your behalf. And be sure to update your ICE contact should the person change his mobile number. 

So go ahead and add your ICE contact in your mobile phone. It might one day make the difference between life and death.

100 Years of Service: Central Fire Station (Since 1909)

Singapore’s oldest fire station, Central Fire Station celebrates its 100^th year of operation this year. Being part of Singapore’s early history, Central Fire Station has undergone transformations and stayed relevant throughout the years. Located along the bustling Hill Street, the station’s iconic presence in the heart of the city serves as a reminder of the key role it plays in keeping Singapore’s Central Business District safe from fires and other emergencies.

To commemorate the history and contributions of the station, the SCDF will be organising a one-month long centenary celebration that includes decorating the front façade of the station with LED coloured lights. The launch on 1st Sep 09 at 7.00 pm at the Central Fire Station will be graced by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs.

A charity dinner will also be held on 1^st Sep 09 to raise funds for St Andrew’s Cathedral Home for the Aged, one of SCDF’s adopted charities. SCDF’s community partners such as the Safety and Security Watch Groups and CERTs will be invited to participate.  

 Please come and SUPPORT (and ask your friends and family along too.) the community activities that will be held this month in conjunction with the celebration:

September School Holiday Programme for adopted schools and National Civil Defence Cadet Corp (NCDCC)

During the 1-week school holiday (5^th to 13^th September 2009), students from SCDF’s adopted schools and NCDCC cadets will be invited to the Station and participate in an On-the-Spot Colouring Competition and Heritage Quiz. Commemorative souvenirs will be given away.

Saturday Fire Station Open House

Visitors to Central Fire Station during the Saturday Fire Station Open House and Civil Defence Heritage Gallery in the month of September will also have the opportunity to participate in the Heritage Quiz and win commemorative prizes.

Central Fire Station Centenary Celebration Photo Competition

Last but not least, SCDF invites all photography enthusiasts to capture the essence of Central Fire Station’s stately architecture and community engagement at its open house on their digi-cams.

Each participant can submit a max. of two (2) entries but each entry must consist of one photo per theme and be accompanied by an entry form as well as a short description of why they deserve to win. Each participant is eligible to win only one prize.

 Download the Entry Form and submit together with your images in a CD-Rom. Please read and comply with the Rules & Regulations in order to participate in the competition. Contest closes on 25^th Sep 09.

Check out the winners to the Photography and Drawing  Competitions!

The Elite Challenge: SCDF’s DART Selection

21km route march

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) recently collaborated with Straits times RazorTV to produce the first local webTV reality series entitled The Elite Challenge. Styled like the acclaimed US reality series Survivor and Boot Camp, 10-episode The Elite Challenge featured 18 Emergency Response Specialists who are regular fire fighters from different fire stations in Singapore going through 8 rounds of tedious and challenging tests in 28 hours to be selected in DART.

 

Breaking a brick wall using a chisel and a mallet

The Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) is an elite specialised vocation in the Singapore Civil Defence Force, formed in 1990 to handle complex rescue and fire fighting incidents, such as urban search and rescue; prolonged fire fighting; height and confined space operations; and water rescue. DART members form the bulk of SCDF members dispatched overseas for search and rescue operations. In October 2005, a 44-member contingent was sent to Pakistan to help in the relief and rescue operations following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. The DART also assisted in the rescue operations in Bandar Aceh, Indonesia during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that claimed almost 150,000 lives. Their most recent overseas stint was the relief and rescue operations following the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008, where a 55-member contingent was sent to China.

7 km run

The first test DART selection candidates have to complete is a 7-km run through Lim Chu Kang cemetery in 50 minutes with their backpacks loaded with operational equipment, weighing about 5kg. After the run, candidates will undergo the standard DART Breathing Apparatus Endurance test, which involves uncoiling of hoses, pitching a ladder, hauling the hoses and recovering everything to its original location, within a cruel nine minutes.

Hidayah, the only female candidate

The Heat and Humidity test comes next. Candidates have to carry a dummy on a stretcher up and down the furnace staircase, before moving to a high temperature room to carry out tasks that test their mental awareness. For those who made it through, the next task is to carry the dummies and loaded jerry cans across a 21-km route. The candidates have to proceed to the Mandai Training Village next, to break through a bricked wall, armed with only a chisel and a mallet, to force an opening wide enough for entry. With fatigue setting in, the candidates have to endure further test components that include the standard DART skills such as rappelling and confined space rescue.

Rappelling

Dart selection candidates that passed all the tests would have to undergo a seven-week course before they become full-fledged (and super fit) DART Specialists.

So do check out The Elite Challenge series at RazorTV.

 The episodes will be uploaded to http://www.razortv.sg/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/Elite_Challenge/ on a weekly basis, starting from 19 August 2009.

Operations ‘Heartbeat’: Mass evacuation at Shenton Way

22nd May 2009 was not a usual working day in Shenton Way. At around 1500 hrs, shouts of “Fire! Fire!” was heard within the DBS (Development Bank of Singapore) Tower Two. Fortunately, the DBS Company Emergency Response Team (CERT) was at-hand to contain the fire. While the Fire Safety Manager (FSM) alerted the SCDF, the fire wardens ensured an orderly evacuation of all the workers. Within minutes, two fire bikers from Central Fire Station arrived and extinguished the fire with their impulse guns.

Evacuees from DBS were directed to an open carpark at Prince Edward Link when they saw a huge group of people already amassed there. They were apparently evacuated from the nearby buildings by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) following a bomb threat.

Suddenly, an unknown chemical agent (CA) was unleashed. A fire engine and a red rhino arrived shortly. The crew from the red rhino conducted “snatch rescue” of two casualties who were affected by the release, while the crew from the fire engine, who were donned in CA protective suits, rescued 2 more casualties near the hazard zone.

The HazMat Incident Team (HIT) was also seen in action with decontamination spray and absorbents. The CA source was eventually mitigated.

A 6,000-strong “evacuees” witnessed the Home Team collaboration codenamed “Operation Heartbeat”. The exercise was a safety initiative by Shenton Way’s Safety and Security Watch Group (SSWG).

The Red Rhino (LFAV) arrives to fight the fire

The crew from the red rhino performing a ‘snatch rescue’

Written by SGT Mohd Izhar from Central Fire Station. You can read the original article from June issue of Rescue 995, an SCDF bi-monthly publication.

Singapore Youths formed Civil Defence Clubs

PJC CD Club volunteers received training on first aid.

JJC CD Club members sharing their knowledge on CPR.

While their schoolmates are resting at home on weekend mornings, these students hit the streets to spread the message of safety, security and emergency preparedness to the community. They are members of the Civil Defence (CD) Clubs from Jurong Junior College (JJC) and Pioneer Junior College (PJC).

The JJC CD Club has a long history. First formed as a First-aid Club in 1986, it became a CD Club in 1988 when it decided to expand its scope of training. Thus, besides first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, the members picked up knowledge in fire safety and emergency procedures. The club’s members have been actively involved in SCDF events like the Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) and Emergency Preparedness (EP) Days.

Last seen helping out at the Bishan Circle Line MRT station Shelter Open House on 4 Apr 2009, the PJC CD Club was formed barely two years ago in 2007. However, the club is active in training its own senior members to become instructors, who will then impart their knowledge to the newly-joined junior members. The senior members also assists SCDF in many community events.

The dedication of both CD Club members have shown many Singaporeans that youths in Singapore are just as keen in preparing themselves to be vigilant against emergencies.

Original article was written by CPL Zulqarnain Mohamad from HQ 4^th CD Division, taken from June issue of Rescue 995.