Weekly public visits to fire stations remain suspended
Weekly public visits to fire stations here remain suspended until further notice, following the death of a firefighter.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) announced this on its Facebook page on May 24, with school holidays starting on May 25. On its website, it said those who made bookings will be contacted for a change in schedule.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused. An update will be provided on the resumption of the visitation programme at a later notice,” SCDF said on its website.
These visits are held every Saturday in two time slots at selected fire stations. People can meet firefighters and paramedics, and learn how SCDF responds to emergencies.
Such visits had been suspended following the death of SCDF regular officer Kenneth Tay, 30.
On May 16, he was serving as a marine rota commander at the West Coast Marine Fire Station and lost consciousness while fighting a blaze on board China-flagged tanker Sheng Hang Hua 6. The vessel was anchored at Raffles Reserved Anchorage in south-west Singapore.
He was pronounced dead at National University Hospital that day.
SCDF similarly suspended public visits to its fire stations after the death of full-time national serviceman Edward H. Go during a firefighting operation at a Housing Board unit in Henderson Road on Dec 8, 2022.
An SCDF officer who allegedly left him to tackle the blaze alone was charged on Oct 16, 2023, with one count of causing grievous hurt by a rash act which endangers the life or personal safety of others.
In the Facebook post on May 24, SCDF also said it received “an outpouring of support and sympathy from friends, colleagues and members of the public” for Captain Tay and thanked its counterparts from the global firefighting fraternity.
It also thanked the UAE Civil Defence’s commander-in-chief Jassim Mohammed Al Marzouqi and his delegation for visiting the SCDF officer’s wake.
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