We agree with Mr Ace Kindred Cheong (“How should public respond to attack?”, Jan 14) that members of the public should be trained on what they should do in times of emergency or terrorist attacks.
This is why the People’s Association and its Grassroots Organisations (GROs) have partnered the Home Team agencies to raise publicawareness of, and involvement in, Emergency Preparedness (EP) through activities such as EP Days.
GROs hold about 40 EP Days each year, mainly in housing estates. Scenarios such as bomb explosions, chemical attacks, collapsed buildings and fire incidents are staged to demonstrate what residents should do, and how they can do their part to mitigate the effects of an emergency.
We have also encouraged residents to join Community Emergency Response Teams (Certs), where they can learn fire-fighting, evacuation, first aid, cardio pulmonary resuscitation and crisis intervention. During emergencies, Cert members can render simple first aid and assistance to family members and neighbours before professional emergency services arrive. We invite residents to join as a Cert member at their nearest Community Club or sign up online at www.pa.gov.sg/volunteer.
We are very encouraged by residents like Mr Cheong who support public involvement in ensuring a safe and secure Singapore. We encourage all residents to join us in promoting a cohesive and resilient community.
Note : No reproduction or downloading of this article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from TODAY.
TODAY - Get armed with know-how, skills
17 January 2009
LTC N Subhas
Director Public Affairs Department
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
I REFER to Mr Ace Kindred Cheong’s letter, “How should public respond to attack?”(Jan 14). The SCDF has many platforms andavenues for the public to be trained in emergency preparedness. These range from classroom lessons to community outreach programmes; and also information made availableon our website and emergency handbook.
The Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) is a free modular based, face-to-face instructional programme that provides individuals with knowledge on emergency measures and procedures. The topics covered include unconventional threats where participants learn protective measures such as In-Place Protection (IPP) to prepare against chemical attacks.
The CEPP is currently conducted daily at the four Civil Defence Headquarters on weekdays from 7pm to 9.30pm and on weekends (Saturday from 2pm to 7.30pm, Sunday from 9am to 6pm).
We have also worked closely with grassroots organisations to hold Emergency Preparedness Day (EP Day) roadshows in the heartlands. These roadshows serve as a platform to sensitise and educate residents in dealing with unconventional threats. In addition to educational display booths and exhibits, live demonstrations on chemical release and bomb explosion scenarios are displayed on EP Days to highlight the response to such scenarios.
Our website provides useful emergency-preparedness information to netizens in the form of the Learn Civil Defence animation programme. The public can learn the correct response to chemical, biological, radiological or explosive attacks as well as other important civil defence skills through the programme.
For those who prefer mobile versions of our emergency advisories, the Ready Mobile download repository portal on our website allows public to download animation clips or text information to their mobile phones for easy access.
As a compendium of information on civil defence knowledge, the sixth edition of the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook was distributed to households last year. The handbook contains an array of tips and information on dealing with peacetime and national emergency situations, as well as the threat of terrorism.
We thank Mr Cheong for his letter and agree on the important role that the public plays in the fight against terror. We urge the community to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with emergency situations through the various means available. For more information or queries, the public can visit our website at www.scdf.gov.sg or call us at 6848 1524.
(With thanks to TODAYonline.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from TODAY.
TODAY - Two faces of alleged Singapore terrorist
14 January 2009
Letter from Ace Kindred Cheong
AFTER reading that National Servicemen and the SCDF are to join forces to fight terror, I am glad that the authorities are ready to prevent and fight terrorism in Singapore.
However, I would like to recommend that training on how to react to an attack should also be provided to the public. I am not sure if many members of the public know what to do should there be a terrorist attack.
The safety of Singapore and the world lies in the hands of everyone, not just the authorities and governments.
