Forum: Staff of pre-school near River Valley fire were quick to help

I am writing to share my experience and concerns following the recent River Valley fire incident

(10-year-old girl dies after fire breaks out at River Valley Road shophouse

, April 8).

That morning, my husband and I were driving our son to pre-school, just three doors down from the affected shophouse. As we approached, around 9.40am, we were alarmed to see thick black smoke billowing from the unit. We also noticed people on the window ledge, trying to escape the dense smoke.

I recorded the scene on my phone to alert someone at my son’s pre-school and urged my husband to call the fire department. Initially, we thought that the onlookers across the street – about five of them already filming – would have alerted the authorities already. But not wanting to take any chances, my husband made the call around 9.45am. To our shock, the SCDF operator he spoke with was unaware of any incident in the area and asked him for the shophouse’s address.

While my husband remained in the car with our son, I ran into the pre-school to alert the staff. No one was aware of what was happening just a few doors away. The principal quickly called the SCDF too, opened the school doors to shelter the affected children from the burning unit, and coordinated her team of teachers to provide water, first aid and a safe space.

Reflecting on the incident, I am troubled by the apparent culture of bystanders prioritising video recording over actually helping. What if my husband hadn’t called, assuming someone else had already done so?

I also want to acknowledge Cambridge Pre-school’s swift and compassionate response which was unfortunately overlooked in the news reports. All the recognition went to the foreign workers who were seen helping (who rightly deserve praise), but not the pre-school staff, who were quick to help the frightened children.

This letter is to recognise the parties who acted quickly, and also to bring up the need to re-examine our collective values in times of crisis. True help is not found in the videos we post, but in the lives we touch.

Valentane Huang