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SCDF Reveals More Details About NSF Edward H. Go’s Death; 1 Officer Will be Charged

2023-10-15 , 4:30 pm

If you remember the news from last year, a full-time national serviceman (NSF) had his life cut short during a firefighting mission.

The young NSF was only 19 years old when he suffocated to death during the firefighting operation.

For the NSF’s death, a superior of the deceased will be charged in the coming week.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has released more information about what happened following investigations into the case.

Here is more about what news was released.

Firefighter’s Death Last Year at Henderson Road Fire Was the First SCDF Firefighting Death

It is well-known that Singaporean men are all conscripted for the mandatory National Service duties when the time comes.

As the common rite of passage for many of the men in Singapore, people do not often expect the men to go and never return.

But for Sergeant 1 Edward H. Go, dying on a mission while serving the country was his grim reality.

For those who do not remember, Sergeant 1 Go passed away after he helped to fight a fire at Henderson Road Housing Board late last year.

The cause of death was suffocation.

According to The Straits Times, there was no issue with the equipment that Sergeant 1 Go was using.

Instead, he suffocated because the air cylinder that he had with him ran out of air.

The reasons behind the death were shrouded in mystery as it was the first time an SCDF officer had lost their life while on a firefighting mission.

As expected, in-depth investigations ensued after the incident to understand what happened and how to avoid similar instances from occurring in the future.

Now, the SCDF has released additional information after the investigations were conducted.

Sergeant 1 Edward H. Go Was Left to Fight the Fire Alone

One of the key pieces of information shared by the SCDF recently is that Sergeant 1 Go’s death could have been linked to him fighting the fire in the unit alone.

In a Facebook post from the official SCDF account, the NSF man had allegedly been left “alone in the housing unit to fight the ongoing fire”.

If you’re wondering why a young man of just 19 years of age was left to fight a blaze alone, we’re with you.

Sergeant 1 Edward H. Go Should Not Have Been Left Alone in the Flat

As it turns out, this should not have been the case.

The SCDF shared that it is “contrary to [their] firefighting doctrine” to have had Sergeant 1 Go alone in the blaze.

This meant that Sergeant 1 Go’s supervisor had “failed in his responsibility” to ensure the deceased safety.

There was no additional information about why the lapse in protocol occurred or why the supervisor allowed Sergeant 1 Go to tackle the fire on his own.

Given the oversight, there will, of course, be repercussions for the supervisor involved.

His Superior, an SCDF Officer, Will Be Charged This Week

According to the SCDF, the supervisor will be charged tomorrow (16 October 2023) for “an offence of causing grievous hurt by a rash act which endangers life or the personal safety of others, under Section 338(a) of the Penal Code 1871”.

If found guilty, the officer could be punished by the court with a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

The supervisor is an officer but was not named by the SCDF in their official press statement about what happened during the fire last year.

Another Superior Has Been “Demoted” and Is Being Referred for Departmental Action

But that’s not all. Other adults also failed to ensure that Sergeant 1 Go was safe during his mission.

The SCDF shared that the Singapore Police Force has referred another SCDF officer “for departmental action” due to the death.

This officer had “allegedly failed to adequately ensure the overall safety of the firefighting operation when he subsequently arrived and took over command and control of the incident”.

Further investigation will be required to determine the responsibility of this other officer.

If the results show that the SCDF’s protocols had not been followed during the incident, the SCDF said it would “take disciplinary action against him”.

In the meantime, while investigations are still ongoing, this unnamed officer has been “redeployed to a non-supervisory and non-operational post”.

SCDF Protocols on Firefighting Were Reviewed and Enhanced

One thing you may have noticed throughout this press release from SCDF is that it emphasises the strict protocols that SCDF has in terms of firefighting.

That is not surprising, given the dangerous nature of what the firefighters have to do.

Unsurprisingly, the SCDF protocols and doctrines were also examined and reviewed in light of the death of Sergeant 1 Go.

SCDF Commissioner Eric Yap spoke for the SCDF and revealed some findings about the SCDF doctrines.

You can watch his recount of the findings in this YouTube video.

According to the SCDF Commissioner, the SCDF firefighting doctrines had been “systematically taught” to those who need to fight fires.

The principles were established and, hence, should have been followed.

However, based on further audits of the existing protocols, which involved investigations into over 200 firefighting incidents over the past few years, some operational lapses were to be expected in a dynamic firefighting incident.

To address these lapses, the SCDF introduced additional measures to safeguard the personal safety of those who have to be on the ground during incidents.

We sure hope it helps prevent any more misfortunes from occuring.