A fire broke out on Pulau Ubin last week, and some residents are concerned with firefighting capabilities on the island.
Leong Wai Kit Channel NewsAsia 1 Jul 15;
SINGAPORE: Pulau Ubin residents have voiced concerns, following a blaze on the island last week which took three hours to extinguish.
On Wednesday (Jun 24), a fire broke out at a bike trail at around 9.15pm, but firefighters got to the island near midnight. The fire affected an area as big as two football fields. No one was hurt in the incident.
There are more than 30 elderly residents living on the island. They said that on weekends, about 1,000 people visit Pulau Ubin, with some staying overnight at campsites.
“Of course I worry about fires,” said Mr Ong Kim Cheng, a resident. “We'll just try to put them out with water or extinguishers. But if they can't be put out, there's nothing we can do. We'll just have to be careful not to let anything catch fire."
Another resident said they are too old to handle such emergencies, and have to depend on the police, who are on standby 24 hours a day.
The island is also home to Outward Bound Singapore, which organises training camps and other programmes. It conducts fire drills during each of its programmes on top of yearly drills with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
"I haven't seen any firefighting equipment around on the island before,” said one Pulau Ubin visitor, Mr Clarence Chng.
Mr Jonathan Yap, also a visitor, said: "I don't think anyone is prepared for a fire per se, but if there were really going to be a fire, I would probably just go to a beach."
Sometimes, workers living on Pulau Ubin come to the rescue. For instance, there are contractors that use a vehicle to water plants on the island. They would take water from the quarry to fill up about 5,000 litres in the vehicle’s tank. In times of emergencies - such as Wednesday - workers would bring water to fire sites.
"After dinner, I was in my room,” recount landscape maintenance worker, Mr Sivakumar. “Then I got a call asking for two people to go to the NPCC campsite and to bring our equipment to the fire."
Pulau Ubin residents added that there was another large bush fire last year.
According to the SCDF, for fires on Pulau Ubin, firefighters will be sent from Sengkang or Changi Fire Stations. For Sister's Island or St John's Island, they will be deployed from Marina Bay. If needed, vessels from Brani Marine can also be sent to the islands.
SCDF also said that under existing rules, buildings on Pulau Ubin must have fire alarms, fire extinguishers and hose reels. This also applies to Sisters’ Island and St John’s Island, where overnight stays are permitted. During an emergency, relevant agencies like the police and the National Parks Board will be roped in to help.
- CNA/hs
