Risks Associated with NSFs in Frontline Firefighting Roles and Transitioning these Roles to Fully Professional Force

19 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what proportion of SCDF’s frontline firefighting force consists of full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) as opposed to regular personnel; (b) what assessments have been made regarding the long-term feasibility of transitioning frontline firefighting roles to a fully professional force; and (c) whether the Ministry has considered the risks associated with deploying NSFs in firefighting roles, given the demanding physical and operational requirements of the job.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) form about 42% of the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF's) frontline firefighting force, which is also supplemented by Operationally Ready National Servicemen (ORNSmen), comprising about 9% of firefighters on duty and volunteer firefighters from the Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit.

As a small country, and even more so with an ageing population, we cannot afford to have a large enough standing force to meet all our civil defence needs, including responding to national emergencies. Hence, SCDF NSFs and ORNSmen have to be an integral part of SCDF’s workforce, performing critical frontline roles like firefighting, alongside regular officers.

SCDF’s frontline duties inherently involve risks. Thus, SCDF ensures that all its officers performing these roles are professionally trained and well equipped to carry out their duties safely and effectively.

The NSFs in the firefighting vocation learn the same firefighting skills as regular firefighters. They complete a four-week Basic Rescue Training and a 12-week Fire Fighter Course at the Civil Defence Academy (CDA). Firefighting training at the CDA is conducted with realistic "live" fire simulators to provide our firefighters the confidence to operate in real firefighting and rescue incidents. All officers must complete a series of proficiency and certification tests before they can be deployed as firefighters.

After graduating from CDA, training continues to be an integral part of a firefighter’s daily routine. Firefighters undergo exercises and drills during each shift to familiarise themselves with their respective roles and functions as part of a crew, as well as to maintain their individual fitness and skills competencies.

SCDF has protocols to ensure both training and operational safety and these are reviewed regularly. In addition, SCDF’s firefighters are well equipped with advanced firefighting and personal protection equipment. They operate sophisticated state-of-the-art vehicles and high tech equipment, such as the Light Fire Attack Vehicle, and firefighting robots and drones, to achieve the mission of saving lives and property, while maintaining personal safety.

Mr Speaker: Mr Giam.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): I thank the Minister of State for the replies. Sir, given the physically demanding nature of firefighting, how does the Ministry assess the long-term physical fitness of NS reservists who may be called back for operational duties years after completing their initial training? What measures are in place to ensure that NSFs deployed as firefighters are given adequate support to cope with the psychological and physical stresses of their roles during and after their service?

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. I am very fortunate to have a chance and the opportunity to work very closely with our SCDF colleagues. I have engagement sessions with the NSF, the regulars, and in my role as President of HomeTeamNS, I work very closely with the NSmen and many of them are also from SCDF.

And like what I said in my answer, even today, as we speak, the SCDF officers who are in Myanmar, they are made up of NSFs, our regulars and our NSmen. And if you look at them, not only are they very well equipped in terms of skill but in terms of fitness, that is where the training that they do during each shift ensures that they are physically equipped with skills and know-how to use the devices and at the same time, they are able to keep themselves fit. So, this is an operational matter that we take seriously, because we know when emergencies happen, every single second counts; and that is made up of the fitness level of our officers and also the skills they have.

Maybe I will share further details about what we do to ensure their safety during training and operation. First, like what I shared earlier, they must be medically fit. We make sure that whoever is there, they are medically fit. Secondly, as I shared in my reply, they learn and demonstrate the necessary skills to perform the role before being deployed, so that is something that we do. And third, all firefighters have the necessary equipment to carry out their role safely and effectively.

What is important is that they work together as a team. When we look at their training, we also make sure that their training and operational safety protocols are being continuously assessed and we make sure that they follow such protocols.

So, we continue to do our best, Sir, to make sure that they are ready, they are fit and they can be a lifesaving force that will keep Singapore safe and secure.