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In the third and final report from this year’s World Fire Congress, the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force Eric Yap tells us why gathering in London is deepening fire service collaboration across the globe and provides a valuable insight about the experience of Singapore.
Responding in an interconnected world
“In today’s interconnected world, disasters and crises do not respect national boundaries. A major fire incident or disaster in one part of the world can have cascading effects far beyond the immediate region, disrupting global supply chains, displacing communities, and straining international response capacities. This reality underscores why partnerships and collaborations across nations, regions, and international partners and academia are no longer optional but essential.
“This is also why platforms like the World Fire Congress are so important. Bringing together leaders and practitioners from over 60 nations creates a unique space to build the networks and relationships that are the foundation of effective collaboration. When a crisis strikes, we respond better and faster with partners we already know and trust, whom we have exchanged ideas with, learnt from, and built mutual understanding with over time.”
He says he is confident that the connections forged in London will extend well beyond the event, with new ideas and new commitments to work together. He expects Singapore to be an active and contributing partner in that ongoing global conversation.
Key operational challenges facing Singapore today
Singapore’s operational landscape has become increasingly complex, explains Commissioner Yap.
“We are seeing a steady rise in call volumes, especially for emergency medical services. The nature of fire and rescue incidents has also evolved, with new hazards emerging in our densely populated urban environment. Those hazards include energy storage systems and data centres, electric vehicles and battery-powered active mobility devices.
“Our maritime environment presents its own growing complexities, given that the Singapore Straits is one of the world’s busiest and most strategically critical maritime corridors. Climate-related factors are also contributing to a more unpredictable operating environment. We are seeing intense rainfall that can trigger flash flooding and dry spells that heighten vegetation fire risk. In addition, transboundary haze compromises air quality and places strain on our responders in the field. Addressing these challenges requires us to anticipate upstream risks, leverage technology more decisively, and build deeper resilience within the SCDF and also across the stakeholders we work with and the wider community we serve.
“Alongside these evolving hazards, we face a structural manpower challenge that is unique to Singapore’s context. In the past decades, below-replacement fertility, compounded by population ageing, have produced a shrinking working-age population and a rising senior-age dependency ratio, intensifying labour availability and driving higher emergency medical service call volumes. Nearly half of all our emergency calls involve seniors aged 65 and above, placing ever greater pressure on a lean and rotating workforce.
Transformation opportunities
As a result, he argues, sustaining operational readiness under these conditions is a major challenge. The answer is to transform organisationally to confront these challenges.
“On the hazard front, we are investing in research and capability development to stay ahead of emerging risks. For example we are conducting full-scale fire tests on lithium-ion batteries; pioneering fire safety requirements for energy storage systems and developing specialised response protocols for electric vehicle fires.
“For our maritime environment, we have deployed Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from our heavy fire vessels to enhance situational awareness at sea and piloting trials on unmanned surface firefighting vessels. To address our manpower constraints, we are investing decisively in robotics and unmanned systems to supplement our workforce, reduce risk to our frontline personnel in high-hazard scenarios and extend our operational reach.
“We are investing in training a dedicated cadre of robotics specialists, comprising both career firefighters and conscripted National Servicemen who, equipped with deeper technical expertise in operating unmanned platforms, can deploy alongside these systems to deliver capabilities that go well beyond what conventional firefighting alone can achieve.
“In the area of emergency responder training, we are setting a new benchmark. Our investment in the Emergency Responders Fitness Conditioning and Enhancement Laboratory (EXCEL), which leverages science and technology systems, positions us to develop the physical, cognitive and mental potential of every officer through training built around human factors. This complements the conventional skills, competency and leadership training for officers.”
The value of collaboration
The SCDF does not operate in isolation, says Commissioner Yap. His organisation is working with partner agencies to leverage technology beyond their own operations.
“A good example is our Traffic Priority System, co-developed with our land transport and technology agencies, which provides signal priority for our emergency vehicles, shaving precious minutes off emergency response times.
“But infrastructure and Government-driven efforts on their own will not be enough. While a strong professional emergency response capability is essential, we must acknowledge that the first line of defence in any emergency is often the community itself. That is why we have invested heavily in community resilience by training volunteers, equipping first responders at the community level, and fundamentally shifting the mindset from “waiting for help” to “being the help.” It is a whole-of-society approach, and we believe it is the most important investment we can make.
“A good example of this is our Save-A-Life Initiative, where the SCDF has, over more than a decade, invested heavily in building a nation of lifesavers. Through our myResponder app, over 270,000 community first responders can be alerted to emergencies in their vicinity, while our AED-on-Wheels and AED-on-Buses programmes have turned everyday transport into mobile lifelines. These are ordinary people, like bus captains, commuters, delivery drivers, who have stepped forward to be ready to act. That community spirit is the foundation of a more prepared and resilient society.”
The World Fire Congress takes place every two years. In 2028 it will be hosted in the United Arab Emirates with Singapore following in 2030.
Read more about the World Fire Congress in this interview with NFCC chief, Phil Garrigan – International gathering emphasises fire service role in preparedness.
Dr Lori Moore-Merrrell co-hosted the Congress and spoke to us about wildfires – ‘The ignition is inevitable’ – a US view on how to manage wildfire risk.
