Singapore homes need stronger fire protection as population ages, says fire safety veteran

SINGAPORE – As Singapore embarks on a multi-year building boom spanning housing and major infrastructure, local service providers are exploring the capital markets for funding to meet growing demand and consolidate fragmented industries.

Among them is fire-protection specialist Deluge Fire Protection, which sees opportunities in projects ranging from MRT stations and road tunnels to data centres and commercial buildings, while seeking to raise standards across an industry with hundreds of small contractors.

Deluge founder and managing director Vincent Cheo told The Straits Times that consolidation in the industry could improve the quality of work and strengthen accountability for fire-system installations, as construction activity picks up and fires continue to occur. 

Set up in 1983, the company has grown into one of the leading fire prevention and protection specialists in Singapore. With its Building and Construction Authority L6 grade certification, it can bid for jobs of unlimited contract value.

Since 1983, it has secured projects totalling more than $1 billion across Singapore’s critical infrastructure, including a $109 million contract in relation to the ongoing construction of the North-South Corridor and a $73.5 million contract from the Land Transport Authority for the Cross Island MRT line. 

Better home protection systems

Cheo is calling for stronger protection in Singapore homes as the population ages and residential buildings become taller.

He noted that kitchens in homes and shophouses are among the most common places for fires to start. Older residents may forget they have something boiling on the stove, while people of all ages can be distracted from cooking by their phones.

Evacuation could also become more difficult as the population ages and more people live on higher floors, Cheo said. He added that while commercial buildings have compulsory sprinkler systems, these are generally not installed in Housing Board flats and condominium units.

He added that many older homes in Singapore are not equipped with automatic sprinklers, and that fire extinguishers are not commonly installed along the corridors of HDB blocks and condominium buildings.

Without those safeguards, firefighters rely instead on the building’s dry or wet riser, connecting their hoses before making their way to the affected floor.

Depending on a building’s height, Cheo estimated that reaching a fire in a high-rise building could take 10 to 15 minutes, during which a small blaze could grow substantially.

“Why wait for the firefighters to run upstairs?” he said.

Fire extinguishers should be available on every floor of a residential building, with occupants taught how to use them, should a fire break out, he added.

Cheo’s comments come on the back of several serious residential fires in recent weeks.

On Aug 3, five people aged between 55 and 88 were taken to hospital after being trapped in a burning fifth-floor flat at Block 684 Race Course Road. The 88-year-old man subsequently died on Aug 5.

On July 31, a 70-year-old resident died following a fire in an eighth-floor flat at Block 309 Clementi Avenue 4. Two firefighters were taken to hospital with burn injuries.

The operation was hampered by a dry rising main that was not working properly. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the loss of water pressure prevented water from being delivered effectively to the affected floor, forcing firefighters to run hoses directly from a fire engine up the staircase.

Residential properties accounted for 1,051 fire calls in 2025, up 8.6 per cent from 968 in 2024, according to SCDF. Unattended cooking remained the leading cause, accounting for 318 residential fires in 2025. Electrical faults were the second-most common cause, accounting for 304 cases.

Exploring options to grow

But Cheo noted that the fire protection industry in Singapore is highly fragmented, making it difficult to maintain consistent installation standards and establish accountability when defects emerge.

Citing an industry report, he estimated that Singapore had 775 fire-protection contractors, with large participants like Deluge holding relatively small market shares.

He noted that while Singapore closely regulates the fire-safety products that can be used, oversight of who installs them and how the finished work is inspected could be strengthened. 

Consolidation could, therefore, create larger contractors with the resources and expertise to handle more projects while improving accountability, he added.

Some consolidation has begun to take place in the industry, with recent deals including Singapore-listed engineering firm Ever Glory United buying Fire-Guard Engineering in 2024, private-equity firm Dymon Asia acquiring Rico Cap Holdings in 2025, and Swedish investment group Storskogen picking up a majority stake in Singapore-based Safi Equipment and Services.

Deluge is looking at potential acquisitions to expand and strengthen its position in the industry at a time when construction projects are becoming more lucrative and complex. 

In April, it announced it had raised $3.6 million from investors including Alan Wang, managing director of Asdew Acquisitions; ICH Asset Management; and Von Lee, founder and executive chairman of Expand Construction. 

Now, Cheo is considering one of the many corporate actions for further growth, “including, but not limited to, fund-raising activities, mergers and acquisitions, and a possible listing”.

The expansion of data centres and new electric vehicle infrastructure, for example, is creating new technical challenges and opportunities to expand in the fire-protection industry.

Data centre projects are typically completed on tight schedules and require specialised systems to protect costly equipment, while the need for strong fire protection systems in public transport depots has also risen, Cheo said.