NSF firefighter killed in line of duty: Contractor summoned for erecting tent that delayed SCDF access to Henderson fire

SINGAPORE - The contractor which erected a wake tent on a service road and delayed Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) access to a fire in Henderson Road by 18 minutes was issued a summons by the town council in charge of the area.

Full-time national serviceman (NSF), Sergeant (1) Edward Go, 19, died while battling the blaze in a rental flat in December 2022.

In response to queries by The Straits Times, the Tanjong Pagar Town Council said that it is against town council by-laws to erect tents on fire access points.

The town council said: “There are signs on-site to inform the public to keep service roads free of obstruction.”

While its officers conduct regular inspections on the ground, the town council said that the tent was put up on the evening of Dec 7 and the fire in Block 91 Henderson Road in Bukit Merah occurred in the morning of Dec 8.

The town council said: “The Town Council has issued a summons to the tentage contractor for obstructing the service road.” It declined to give any details.

In response to questions filed in Parliament by Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) and Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) on Monday, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said that because the tent was on the service road, officers had to remove bollards that were padlocked to the ground to create an access path.

This led to the delay of 18 minutes, he said.

However, Dr Faishal said it would be premature to discuss the factors which contributed to Sgt (1) Go’s death, and that an independent probe is currently being conducted by the police into the circumstances of his death.

The coroner will be informed of the findings, but Dr Faishal said that details could not be shared because investigations are ongoing.

Sgt (1) Go attained a gold standard in his Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) and an A grade in his Breathing Apparatus Proficiency Test – both of which are tests all NSFs must go through before they can be deployed as firefighters.

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Sgt (1) Go, who was the first person from the SCDF to have died during an operation, also fared well in other mandatory course requirements and attended to nearly 60 fire and rescue calls after he was posted to the Central Fire Station in May 2022.

It was previously reported that he fell unconscious in the kitchen area of the flat while fighting the fire there. He was taken out of the unit by crew members, who tried to resuscitate him. Sgt (1) Go was later taken to Singapore General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

He was also certified medically fit before his enlistment and categorised as PES A. Servicemen under this category are considered suitable for front-line operational vocations such as firefighting.

The NSF enlisted in the SCDF on Jan 5, 2022, and had aspirations to enrol in medical school upon completing his national service. After enlisting, he trained as a firefighter for 12 weeks, from Feb 3 to April 28. He was posted to the Central Fire Station on May 4.

He was part of the first response crew for the blaze on Dec 8, 2022, the SCDF said previously.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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