SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will recalibrate its efforts to equip community volunteers with life saving and emergency skills, as agencies here move to arm Singapore against the terror threat.

Community volunteers will be taught skills including first aid and firefighting under the Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP), and be classified into three categories, according to their competencies.

The CEPP was first launched in 2003, but is being streamlined and recalibrated. The changes will kick in later this year.

Since it was launched, the SCDF says about 40,000 people have been trained annually under the CEPP.

At the lowest level, SCDF classifies these volunteers as "emergency prepared citizens", people who can help themselves and their families get out of harm's way during an emergency.

These people would have to undergo a 45-minute online course.

These changes to the CEPP were unveiled on Friday (May 6) at SCDF's Workplan Seminar held at ITE College East. It is part of the larger nationwide movement, SG Secure, which aims to build community resilience against the terror threat.

Also unveiled at the seminar were new technologies used by SCDF.

These include the next-generation ambulance and a prototype exoskeleton being developed for emergencies.

The new ambulance is equipped with a rumbler siren, which emits a low frequency sound that can penetrate cars in front of the ambulance and cause those vehicles to vibrate slightly.

It is meant to prompt drivers to give way. The new ambulance will be rolled out from next year.

Meanwhile, the exoskeleton is a wearable mechanical harness that firefighters can wear to help them carry casualties and heavy loads.

It is currently in development, but working prototypes will be developed by the end of the year.