The superior of a 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) who suffocated to death after a firefighting operation at a Henderson Road Housing Board flat will be charged on Monday.
The NSF is the first firefighter to have died during a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighting operation.
In a statement on Saturday, the Singapore Police Force said the 38-year-old SCDF officer had allegedly left the NSF, Sergeant 1 Edward H. Go, alone in a unit in Block 91 on Dec 8, 2022, to fight the ongoing fire without informing anyone. This went against standard procedures.
The SCDF officer will be charged with causing grievous hurt by a rash act which endangers life or the personal safety of others. If convicted, the offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to four years, or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
The autopsy certified that Sgt 1 Go died of suffocation due to a depleted air cylinder. The police said investigations did not find any evidence to suggest Sgt 1 Go’s death was due to equipment failure.
Speaking to the press on Saturday at SCDF’s headquarters in Ubi, SCDF Commissioner Eric Yap said that the officer to be charged went against SCDF’s firefighting doctrine by leaving Sgt 1 Go alone in the flat.
Separately, the police have referred another officer to SCDF for investigations related to the same incident.
This story is from the October 15, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the October 15, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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