SINGAPORE — A firefighting operation in Bukit Merah last month, which ended with the death of 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) Edward H Go, was delayed by 18 minutes due to funeral tentage which obstructed the accessway.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim revealed this in Parliament on Monday (Jan 9), though he added it was premature to determine what led to Go’s death at this time.

“The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will seek to understand what had happened, including if standard operating procedures and protocols had been followed, and how these may need to be tightened to keep the officers as safe as possible when they serve our nation,” he said.

On Dec 8 at about 11.10am, SCDF was alerted to a fire on the fourth floor of Block 91 Henderson Road.

As firefighters entered the smoke-logged flat to put out the fire, Go fell unconscious in the kitchen area.

His colleagues immediately took him out of the unit to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on him. The serviceman was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Assoc Prof Faishal said that SCDF officers responding to the incident found that the fire engine accessway leading to Block 91 Henderson Road was obstructed by a tent where a funeral wake was being held.

Officers had to remove the bollards that were padlocked to the ground near the tentage to create an access route, which delayed their arrival by 18 minutes.

A ground commander also assessed that 22 emergency vehicles and 61 responders from six fire stations had to be deployed — about 40 per cent of whom were national servicemen while the remaining were career firefighters.

Assoc Prof Faishal was responding to Mr Murali Pillai, Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency, who asked about the challenges firefighters faced during the Dec 8 operation.

“The police are currently conducting an independent, thorough investigation into the circumstances of SGT1 Edward’s demise and will apprise the Coroner of its findings,” Assoc Prof Faishal said.

“Due to the ongoing investigations, we are unable to share further details at this stage.”

The Workers’ Party’s Sylvia Lim, Member of Parliament for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, asked if the coroner’s inquiry — which will be held in court — will be open to the public given the public interest in this case.

In reply, Assoc Prof Faishal said that it is within the powers of the coroner to decide if an inquiry is necessary to establish the circumstances leading to Go’s death, adding that he will not make any assumptions or speculations into the ongoing investigations.

Earlier in his reply, Assoc Prof Faishal said that all NSFs must be certified medically fit, meet a minimum physical standard and complete mandatory training before they can be deployed as firefighters.

In fact, Go attained the gold standard for his individual physical proficiency test and was among the top 25 per cent in his breathing apparatus proficiency test, Assoc Prof Faishal said.

He added that Go attended nearly 60 fire and rescue calls since he was posted to the Central Fire Station in May 2022.

In a fire emergency, NSFs are deployed alongside regular servicemen as well as reservists and volunteers, he said. 

All firefighting personal protective equipment used by SCDF are certified according to relevant international standards such as the American National Fire Protection Association standards and European standards, Assoc Prof Faishal added.