SCDF to learn from Shell Bukom fire

It will share findings of review with others in industry: DPM Teo
Elizabeth Soh & Jalelah Abu Baker Straits Times 13 Oct 11;

THE Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will review and draw lessons from the recent Shell refinery blaze, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.

The findings from the review of the fire that took 32 hours to put out on Pulau Bukom will be shared with stakeholders, including others in the industry, he added.

He attributed the fact that there were no serious injuries to regular fire-safety practices and cooperation between the SCDF and the oil giant.

'While there was damage to property, including several fire-fighting appliances and disruption to refinery operations, no serious injuries were sustained,' said Mr Teo, who is also Minister for Home Affairs.

He was speaking yesterday at the inaugural Fire Safety Asia Conference at Suntec City Convention Centre.

Just last month, he noted that a nationwide mass-evacuation exercise involving 53 industrial sites, 17 commercial premises and 13 hotels had been carried out to raise awareness of fire safety in the workplace.

He emphasised the need for conference participants from other countries to share their best practices and experiences.

The three-day event, organised jointly by the SCDF and National Fire and Civil Emergency Preparedness Council, has drawn more than 270 fire-safety experts and regulators.

Mr Teo also said the challenge for Singapore was to set a new benchmark for building standards here to be aesthetically pleasing but without compromising safety.

He gave the example of a convention hall at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) which has an enhanced smoke-control system that prevents smoke from engulfing the room by containing it in the ceiling.

For that, and other fire-safety design features that blended with the architecture of the sprawling complex which also houses a shopping centre and a hotel, MBS won a Fire Safety Design Excellence Award launched yesterday evening at Pan Pacific Hotel.

In explaining the judges' decision to honour MBS, Mr Ashvin Kumar, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, said the integrated resort has the most 'complicated, complex and radical solutions' in fire safety.

Mr Agustin Cortes, senior vice-president of hotel operations, said MBS is honoured to have won the award through its work with building consultancy firm Arup Engineering.

They wanted to ensure that their designs exceeded the fire-safety requirements for commercial buildings here.

Other winners included the Underground Ammunition Facility designed by the Defence, Science and Technology Agency.

SCDF to review blaze at Shell's Bukom facility
Hetty Musfirah Channel NewsAsia 12 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will be reviewing and drawing lessons from the 32-hour blaze at a Shell petrochemical plant at Pulau Bukom last month.

Giving his first public comments on the incident at the inaugural Fire Safety Asia Conference on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the review would be done in the coming weeks.

The facility at Bukom is Shell's largest oil refinery in the world - with a capacity of half a million barrels a day.

The blaze, which began on September 28, had put the Home Team - particularly the SCDF firefighters - to the test.

Mr Teo said: "While there was damage to property, including several fire-fighting appliances, and disruption to refinery operations, no serious injuries were sustained.

"In general, the response plan that was practised in regular exercises worked and the challenge was overcome through cooperation between Shell and the SCDF."

In the coming weeks, SCDF will review and draw lessons from the fire, and share them with stakeholders, including other industry players, Mr Teo added.

The review will likely take one to two months to complete, given that the incident also required the efforts of other stakeholders such as the police force.

The review will include looking at things that were done right, identifying areas that can be improved on and strengthening the contingency plan.

Some broad areas will include operations and logistics.

Mr Teo said the central concept underpinning Singapore's fire safety strategy is partnership. And the sharing of best practices and experiences is important - something that the three-day conference is facilitating.

Mr Teo said there is a need to find more creative yet equally robust fire safety solutions. He said fire safety in buildings will become more challenging as more buildings are built taller and closer together.

He said a mindset change is also needed. This includes working with building owners to take into account fire safety considerations right from the design stage.

The Fire Safety Asia Conference is jointly organised by the SCDF and the National Fire and Emergency Preparedness Council (NFEC).

The theme for the conference is "Partners in Fire Safety - Building a Safer Tomorrow".

- CNA/al