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Ready Singapore
Ready Singapore
Date : 30 November 2007
26 February 2005 Launch of Ready Bag at EP Day at Tanglin-Cairnhill Division, Bukit Merah View - Opening Remarks By Ms Indranee Rajah, Chairperson, Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC & Adviser to Tanglin-Cairnhill GROs, 26 February 2005
Distinguished Guests Although I know we had just celebrated chap goh mei, I would still like to wish all our Chinese residents a Happy Chinese New Year. And to our Muslim residents who celebrated the Al-Hijra on 10 Feb - a happy Muslim New Year. Above all, I wish that even though the world around us is still plagued by the threat of terrorism, all of us will enjoy a peaceful and successful year. One thing which I believe is a vital ingredient for peace of mind in the midst of troubled times, is preparedness. When we are mentally prepared and better still, when we take efforts to learn how to be ready for emergencies and contingencies, we are better able to overcome any adversity which may come our way. I am glad therefore that so many of you are taking part in today's exercise. Residents of block 119, 120 and 124A, I thank you for participating enthusiastically in this afternoon's Emergency Preparedness evacuation exercise. The chances of a large-scale disaster affecting Singapore may seem quite low. But, the simple truth is if we do not prepare for emergency situations, when one occurs, we would be caught completely off guard. Our losses would be so much greater and our recovery so much more difficult. The reason why the human losses have been so great in the recent tsunami is because it was not something the most affected areas were prepared for. Creating a culture of preparedness We should not wait for a major crisis to happen before we start to think of how we should prepare for an emergency situation. It would be too late. Preparedness is our only defence in any emergency. The more we plan for and are prepared for an emergency situation, the better our chances of surviving the incident. We will also be able to more swiftly recover from the crisis and return to normal life. Emergency preparedness is everybody's responsibility. In an emergency situation, police officers and officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, cannot be everywhere to help everyone in need of assistance. More importantly, those who are in greater need of help, such as those who are trapped or who are in grave danger, certainly have to be given higher priority. For these reasons, all of us must know some basic emergency procedures so that we can get through an incident if and when it occurs. Last year, the People's Association (PA) set up an Emergency Preparedness Group (EPG) in each constituency. Since then, the PA and EPGs have been working closely with the Homefront Security Office (HSO) to formalise work processes and strengthen grassroots response capabilities to deal with five emergency scenarios they have jointly identified, namely outbreak of contagious disease, building collapse, bomb explosion, chemical incident and disruption to water and power supplies. Emergency Preparedness has always been an important agenda to the Tanglin-Cairnhill Division as it houses many foreign embassies, the shopping paradise along Orchard Road, Newton Food Centre and Mohamed Sultan Road, which are potential targets. With its vast land area of 15 square kilometres, communication during emergency is also one of our concerns. Proper planning is essential to ensure that each and every one of us is able to cope with and respond readily in times of crisis and emergencies. The Tanglin-Cairnhill EPG is currently looking into developing a proper re-call system whereby key grassroots leaders can be activated soonest possible should emergencies occur in my Division. To further strengthen the community emergency response capability at the local level, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are being formed at the Residents' Committee (RC) zonal level. 45 CERTs have been formed so far and the grassroots organisations (GROs) are encouraged to form more teams. In response to the call, 4 CERTs have been formed in Tanglin-Cairnhill, which I will be presenting the Appointment Certificates to them shortly. In the next phase, CERT members will be trained in first-aid, CPR, fire safety, emergency procedures, unconventional threats and in-place protection. To ensure that my grassroots leaders are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge in handling and managing any emergencies, the Tanglin-Cairnhill EPG is now working with the SCDF to organise the Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) for all our grassroots leaders. I will be joining them for the training and I would also want to take this opportunity to invite and strongly encourage the residents of Bukit Merah View to join us if you are interested. We cannot plan for an emergency without actually taking some action. This is why the Ministry of Home Affairs is encouraging Singaporeans to pack their own READY Bags. Tanglin-Cairnhill GROs and CERT members will also join in to proactively promote the importance of having READY Bags during their house visits. The point of the READY Bag is a simple idea to promote preparedness. As householders, you decide what is important for your family members and customise your own READY Bags to suit those needs. Each of your family members is a member of your own home team. I urge all residents to start thinking about what your family may need and to pack your own READY Bags. I am very happy that many of you thought about what is important in an emergency and have brought some of those items down with you in the evacuation. Household Brigades - Safer homes for better lives I also urge you to get ready and stay ready to help Singapore fight terrorism. The terrorist threat continues to loom in the region and Singapore remains a target for a terrorist attack. Apart from packing your READY Bags and being ready for any emergency, there are other ways which all of us can play a part to counter terrorism. One way is to stay alert to suspicious activities in your neighbourhood. This is an area where home-makers and those of you who are in the estate during the day, are especially able to contribute significantly. Since you are familiar with the neighbourhood, you will be able to quickly spot suspicious characters or activities that do not usually occur. Report to the Police when you see anything out of the ordinary. The Police hotline is 1800-255 0000 and the Internal Security Department's counter-terrorism hotline is 1800-262 6473. See it, Report it Another thing you can do is to join a neighbourhood watch group. Over the years, our neighbourhood watch groups have become a feature of community living in HDB estates. Watch groups help to prevent crime. But it need not stop there. This is because crime prevention and terrorism prevention are very similar. When you report suspicious characters or activities, you could be preventing a break-in or an attempt to plant a bomb in a public place. So do not underestimate the usefulness of the information you provide. See it and report it. On this note, let me thank all the grassroots volunteers who selflessly contributed their time and energies to make possible today's Emergency Preparedness Day. I would also like to thank the officers of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force for setting up the exhibitions and making the arrangements for today's evacuation exercise. I wish everybody an enjoyable learning experience. Thank you and may I wish all Singaporeans happiness, peace and security. And of course the key for us as citizens to achieve that is "Be Prepared - Be ready, not sorry". The threat of terrorism is real. As the Minister for Home Affairs has emphasised in the past, the security forces need to get it right all the time but the terrorist needs to get it right only once. Hence, community vigilance is an imperative. To make a country inhospitable to terrorists and be a hard target, public vigilance and alertness is the key resource in any society because no Government, however efficient and adequate its security forces, can protect everyone and everything in the country. How much to do and where to prioritise limited security resources is a persistent question which Governments everywhere have to confront today. Likewise, on the one hand we want to sensitise our public to the reality of the threat and the possibility of an attack, knowing that public vigilance and resilience is critical to Singapore’s counter-terrorism efforts. On the other hand, we are mindful that we should not become despondent, paranoid and paralysed by fear. Life must go on and we must learn to live and adjust to the new security climate and environment. Staying positive and keeping a sense of balance is the key.  The Government has been working hard to prepare for emergencies and crises. Some of you as residents or as officers in key organisations have been involved, for example in Exercise Community Spirit or in the Community Emergency Preparedness exercises. Although it is the professionals who respond to disasters, only you can prepare yourself and your family for emergencies, big or small.
• First of all, we can start by thinking about what may be needed in an emergency situation. A checklist is offered here. It suggests the key items to pack into a bag – a READY Bag – in case of emergencies. You can customise it to suit yourself and your family and your own special needs.
The READY Bag Checklist is NOT the answer to every emergency. It is a minimalist list.
If we do not start to think about getting ready,
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE HOME TEAM: Feedback, suggestions on how to improve this? Send us an email atsingaporeunited@mha.gov.sg.
Do you know what to do in an emergency? Are you prepared for your family? Have you prepared essential items to help you through an emergency? If not, do consider putting together a Ready Bag – a collection of essential items that will help you in an emergency. When your Ready Bag is prepared, make sure each member of your household knows where the Ready Bag is kept. The Ready Bag should be ready and easy to get hold of when you need it in an emergency. Everyone in the family can play a role in being prepared for emergencies. It is easy and inexpensive to prepare for a Ready Bag. Below is a checklist of items you may want to go through with your family to include in your Ready Bag. Take turns in the family to check and update your Ready Bag on a regular basis. Essential Items
Optional Items
Other considerations when you pack your READY Bag:
INFORM FAMILY MEMBERS WHERE THE READY BAG(S) IS KEPT.
NOTE: Additional Information: What's Up Nov/Dec 2005 Question: If a tsunami were to hit Singapore, how can the READY Bag help me to survive? The READY Bag will not help you to survive every emergency. The checklist is not meant to cater to every conceivable emergency. If a sudden earthquake or tsunami were to affect Singapore, there is very little households can do to prevent or pre-empt it, beyond being alert and getting out of disaster’s way. For emergencies such as blackouts, the radio-torch-lite suggested for the READY Bag will offer light and access to information. If you put biscuits and bottled water in the READY Bag, they can be some form of rations in the meantime before emergency responders arrive. Question: The READY Bag seems intended to be very portable. What kind of emergencies is the READY Bag intended for such that people have to be evacuated? In an evacuation, should we waste time to look for the READY Bag? Would carrying the READY Bag during evacuation hamper movement? The READY Bag is intended to be portable so that it will not slow you down in an emergency. It is not only in an evacuation situation that we may take the READY Bag with us. A situation such as a major power failure may bring many residents out of their flats and homes and into the darkness. If they bring along their READY Bags, they will have a torchlight and a radio to access information. They will also have at hand the SCDF emergency handbook on what to expect, and they may have essential contact numbers such as the telephone number of utilities companies or the Neighbourhood Police Centre. In situations where not all family members are together, the essential contact numbers in the READY Bag will be useful resource for family members to stay in touch. The READY Bag should realistically contain only items deemed very essential by you. This would reduce the size of the bag and keep it mobile. The READY Bag should also be stored at a convenient place in the home so that it is within easy reach at any time. This way, very little time is needed to take the READY Bag in an evacuation or emergency situation. Family members should also be told where the READY Bag is kept. Question: Does it mean that a person should carry the READY Bag wherever he goes? If not and when a person is outside and an emergency situation occurs, the person would not have the basic items he or she would need to deal with the emergency. The READY Bag will not help a person to survive every emergency or calamity. But the READY Bag contains items which could be handy in an emergency. The READY Bag should be stored at home and / or a place where you regularly spend a considerable amount of time. Some individuals may feel that it is useful to pack a READY Bag and place it in the office or car. It is a personal choice whether a person wishes to carry the READY Bag wherever he or she goes, depending on your own lifestyle and habits. Question: Should every individual in the household have his or her own READY Bag? In an emergency, would it not be strange for a household to have so many READY Bags? Whether to pack individual bags for each member of the household or for the household to share one READY Bag, is a personal choice. For instance, for parents with young children, they may want to have a family READY Bag. For families with grown-up children, they may prefer individual READY Bags. What is more important is that you and your family members think through what you would need in an emergency situation and prepare for it by packing a READY Bag. Question: Storing food, bottled water and medicines in the READY Bag is a bad idea because they are perishable. How much ration should be packed in the READY Bag? Individuals and households should think through what they would need in an emergency situation. Whether food, bottled water or medicines should be included is a personal choice.
The READY Bag is not a one-size-fits-all solution It also should be tailored to the needs of individuals and households. Some individuals or households may find some items more essential or useful than other items. Some with medical conditions or allegies, may need special medicine – you should consider packing them into the READY Bag, unless you already carry them around with you all the time. If perishables like biscuits, bottled water and medicines are included, then there should be periodic checking of the expiry dates. Regardless of what the contents are, the READY Bag should be regularly checked to ensure contents are updated or kept in effective states, especially medicine and food. Question: Why include money in the READY Bag? Individuals and households should think through what they would need in an emergency situation. Whether money should be included is a personal choice. Question: Is the READY Bag going to be sold? Where would it be sold? Any bag can be your READY Bag. What we have given out at the Home Team Workshop (or other events) are specimens to show how a READY Bag can be. Through the READY Bag Checklist, we hope to encourage all of you to think about how you can prepare yourself and your family for emergencies in general. Anyone can pack their own READY Bags. All that are needed is a sturdy bag and items that you think are essential in an emergency. Feedback, suggestions on? Send us an email at singaporeunited@mha.gov.sg Additional feedback from You: Since the launch of the “My READY Bag” concept, we have received feedback from members of the public. Thank you for your thoughtful suggestions. Some of you have suggested: “It is hard to keep checking whether normal batteries are still working. We should use more durable batteries of XXX brand so that they can be kept longer.” “Why do we want to use torch lights or radios that depend on batteries as a single source of power? There are torch lights and radios that do not need batteries. These battery-less equipment would be good to include in the checklist for the Ready Bag.” “The SCDF Handbook is too big. Why not produce a smaller pocket-size booklet that is easier to keep?” " We are not very sure what should go into a First-Aid Kit. Can there be a list of items?"
"We are not very sure what should go into a First-Aid Kit. Can there be a list of items?" Thank you for all the feedback and suggestions on how the “My READY Bag” concept can be customised to the needs of the individual households. The fundamentals of readiness starts with one being self-reliant and taking stock of the various needs that we may have in crisis time. We are glad that Singaporeans have taken the effort to provide useful feedback that will help us refine the concept and the checklist that accompanies it. We will explore with the Singapore Civil Defence Force on the feasibility in producing a pocket-size Civil Defence Handbook. For suggestions on other items to be included in the checklist (core and optional), we will consider them for inclusion in the checklist that we are updating as more useful feedback and inputs come in. More ideas on how you can get ready and be prepared? Email us at singaporeunited@mha.gov.sg Or call the MHA Feedback line at 6478 6151.  Disasters can happen any time and anywhere. Most of the adult population spends eight hours, or more, at work. Thus, we should be equally prepared for emergencies at home as well as at work. With this in mind, a Corporate Ready Bag was launched in July 2006 to encourage the business community to think through how they should be equipped to deal with an emergency that occurs at work.
The items in the Corporate Ready Bag consist of the basic items in the residential version – small first aid kit, torchlight, portable radio, spare batteries, whistle and emergency handbook. In addition to these items, the Corporate Ready Bag should also carry items that would be useful to the security coordinator/Corporate First Responder of the building or company in his reaction to emergencies. Such items include:
a. Luminous Cap
b. Masking Tape and plastic sheet
. c. Cordon Tape
d. No-entry stickers
e. Emergency Contact List
f. Grid floor plan The above is only a guide on the items we consider to be essential to an organisation. Each company should customise its own ready bag to meet its needs.
It is never too early to start preparing for a disaster.
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