SINGAPORE — Mr Lee Hsien Yang, a member of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) weighed in to comment on the Henderson Road fire incident, and urged the Singapore government to make the installation of fire alarms mandatory for all residential properties, not just for residential premises.
In a recent Facebook Post, Mr Lee, who is also the son of the late Lee Kuan Yew and younger brother of the current Singapore Prime Minister, stressed that Singapore needs to inculcate a culture of safety at work and home.
He believed that a strong safety culture would help significantly prevent accidental deaths at work and home.
“To date, Singapore had 44 work place deaths this year. This is not consistent with being a first world country, ” Mr Lee added that the recent death of the SCDF NS man Corporal Edward Go is tragic.
The number of deaths has since increased to 45 on 27 December, with a 31-year-old Singaporean worker being crushed to death.
According to Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Cpl Edward Go fell unconscious during a fire-fighting operation in a rental flat at Block 91 Henderson Road. His crew took him out of the unit and conveyed him to Singapore General Hospital.
Unfortunately, Edward Go was pronounced dead later in the hospital.
LHY: Early detection saves lives and limits the spreading of a fire
Mr Lee reminded that fire alarms, like the wearing of seatbelts, have been shown to make a dramatic difference in preventing serious fires and saving lives.
“Early detection saves lives and limits the spreading of a fire, “ he said.
Mr Lee also quoted statistics from the United Kingdom Government’s Fire Kills campaign, which states that people are around eight times more likely to die from a fire if they don’t have a working smoke alarm in their home.
Recalling anti-littering and anti-spitting rules implemented many years ago, Mr Lee said regulations can do much to change behaviour.
“We need now to use these, as well as changes in attitudes and culture, to prevent terrible and tragic accidents at work and at home.”
“Any preventable death is one death too many, ” he added.
Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim said free installation of HFAD on a “non-mandatory basis” for public rental flats
According to SCDF, The installation of Home Fire Alarm Devices(HFADs) is only mandatory for new residential premises.
Back in 2019, MND said that it would “provide free installation of HFADs for all public rental flats by the end of 2021.”
In September this year, Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for MHA and MND said the free installation of HFADs for all HDB public rental flats was completed in June 2021, but it was on a non-mandatory basis.
“The take-up rate as of the completion of the initiative was 75%. HDB will progressively install HFADs in the remaining 25% of public rental flats when their tenants’ leases end, ” Faishal Ibrahim replied to MPs question.
