Inquiry into Death of SCDF NSF Firefighter in December 2022

1 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether an independent Board of Inquiry will be convened to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of the SCDF NSF firefighter who died during the firefighting operation on 8 December 2022 with a view to determine the contributing factors that led to his death and make recommendations to rectify any lapse in the firefighting operation that may be uncovered from the review.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, the Police are currently investigating into the death of SGT1 Edward Go.

When investigations are completed, the Police will inform the Coroner of their findings. The Coroner will consider the Police’s investigations and make a finding on the circumstances relating to SGT1 Go’s demise.

We have decided that we will also convene a Board of Inquiry (BOI) under the Civil Defence Act to conduct a review of the incident. Since the BOI is also a fact-finding body, it will be held after the Coroner’s findings are established. The BOI will then also be able to consider the Police and the Coroner’s findings, in its assessment of the matter.

The BOI will submit its report to the Minister for Home Affairs (MHA) and we will share the Board’s findings and recommendations at an appropriate juncture.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.

Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad to note the decision of MHA to convene a BOI to look into the circumstances of the unfortunate death of SGT1 Edward Go. May I just ask, in terms of timing, why is it preferred that the BOI be convened to commence its inquiry after the conclusion of the Coroner's inquiry case?

I say this because to my knowledge, when it comes to deaths that are being investigated by the Committee of Inquiry set up by the Armed Forces Council under the Singapore Armed Forces Act, these things happen in tandem. The inquiries are not necessarily the same as well.

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Essentially, it depends on the circumstances of the matter. In this case, we find that we are going to have the Police investigations as well as the Coroner's investigations. And at the end of the day, both of them are looking at the different aspects of it.

We know the Coroner's findings will reveal the how, when and where the death happened. And with regard to the Police investigations, there will also be further insights to it. We think that it is better for the BOI to look at all these findings and make its assessment.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Dennis Tan, you have a supplementary question?

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Yes, Deputy Speaker. Just a clarification for the Minister of State. He mentioned about the Coroner's findings. Can I just get the clarification that there will be a Coroner's inquiry held in public for this incident leading to the death of the NSF?

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Yes, there will be, as I shared in my answer. It will be revealed to the public and it will be public information. At the same time, we will also share the findings of the BOI. At a certain juncture, once we have completed, we will inform the public.