NSF firefighter who died after battling blaze was in top 25% of cohort

The 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) who died after battling a blaze in a rental flat in Henderson Road in December 2022 was a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer with "some level of experience", and his performance as a trainee put him among the top 25 percent of his cohort.

- Kok Yufeng

Sergeant (1) Edward H. 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.

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, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said on Monday, in response to questions filed by Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) and Workers' Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC).

Dr Faishal also revealed that 40 percent of the responders who were deployed to the fire at Block 91 Henderson Road on Dec 8, 2022, were national servicemen, with regular officers making up the remaining 60 percent.

In all, 22 emergency vehicles and 61 responders from six fire stations were sent to fight the blaze raging in a two-room flat on the fourth storey of the block in Bukit Merah, after the SCDF was alerted to it at about 11.10 am that day.

The arrival of SCDF officers at the scene was delayed by 18 minutes, said Dr Faishal, as the fire engine accessway leading to the block was obstructed by a tent where a funeral wake was being held.

The officers had to remove bollards that were padlocked to the ground near the tent to create an access path, he added.

However, Dr Faishal said it would be premature to discuss the factors which contributed to SGT (1) Go's death, and he was unable to share further details owing to ongoing investigations.

He said the police are conducting an independent probe into the circumstances of Sgt (1) Go's death, and will apprise the coroner of their findings.