SCDF full-time national servicemen to get more leadership opportunities

SINGAPORE – Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) will be given more opportunities to take up leadership positions at frontline operations of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli today (April 17).

One example of an NSF leading a frontline operation was a commander leading the firefighting team during the Marina Bay Suites fire in January. This commander was serving his National Service at Marina Bay Fire Station, said Mr Masagos.

The Senior Minister of State was speaking to SCDF officers at the SCDF Workplan Seminar 2014 held at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central this morning.

Mr Masagos gave an update on the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) scheme launched last year. The scheme trains firefighters to attend to medical cases and provide medical intervention before the ambulance arrives. He said that 127 firefighters have been trained as EMTs so far, and have been posted to Emergency Medical Services to gain operational experience before returning to their firefighting roles.

Mr Masagos also talked about the use of technology to improve efficiency of frontline operations, such as the acquisition off four unmanned firefighting machines (UFM). One UFM has been in operation three weeks ago.

Speaking to reporters after his speech, Mr Masagos said the UFM will provide “tremendous firefighting capability without compromising the safety of officers”. According to the SCDF, the UFM can be operated by SCDF officers through a remote control up to 300m away. It can also spray water up to a distance of 60m.