The police, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and other agencies now have access to a joint facility to coordinate operations during major events.

The first of its kind to be built in Singapore, the Home Team Joint Facility (HTJF) in Kallang Fire Station operates as a command and staging area during such operations.

The fire station's location next to the Singapore Sports Hub and the city makes it an ideal site to house the facility, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said during the official opening of the fire station yesterday.

"It is a good platform for even greater collaborations within the Home Team agencies," said Mr Shanmugam.

The HTJF is located on an upper floor of the fire station, and includes a main command room where personnel from the police, SCDF and other agencies will work together.

SCDF's director of operations, Assistant Commissioner Daniel Seet, said the purpose-built facility will allow the agencies to quickly set up their command capabilities - unlike in the past, when agencies had to first find a suitable site for their operations.

The HTJF will be available to the police and SCDF during major events such as Formula 1 races and National Day, as well as during security incidents, said AC Seet.

"This allows us to come together and think more about how we can do joint operations better, how to synergise our work better," he said.

To accommodate such joint operations, the Kallang Fire Station has a total floor area of 14,000 sq m for housing a large number of emergency vehicles that can be deployed quickly.

The fire station also houses vehicles such as the Pumper Firefighting Machine, an unmanned firefighting device, and will house the SCDF's first High Level Articulated Appliance, a machine that can be extended to reach the top of a 30-storey building.

During the launch of the fire station yesterday, Mr Shanmugam also announced a new career track for uniformed officers known as the Ops-Tech Track.

These officers will receive specialist training and will be based in the SCDF and the police force, where they will integrate technology into the agencies' everyday operations.

SCDF's Deputy Commissioner for Future Technology and Public Safety Teong How Hwa said the officers will serve as a bridge between agencies such as the SCDF, and the upcoming Home Team Science and Technology Agency.

"The future looks very exciting for them because ops-tech officers can translate frontier technology into front-line operations."