SINGAPORE - Community First Responders attended to 7,670 incidents over the last five years, more than half of which were cardiac arrest cases, said Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam.
These members of the public, who signed up on the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) myResponder App, assisted in 4,525 cardiac arrest cases and 3,145 minor fires from 2018 to 2022, he added in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC).
The app alerts first responders who are within 400m of a cardiac arrest case or a minor fire.
More fire extinguishers and automated external defibrillators (AED) will be installed in neighbourhoods and private vehicles in the coming years, for those responding to emergencies, Mr Shanmugam said.
Over the next five years, SCDF will engage the Housing Board, town councils and Temasek Foundation to install one fire extinguisher in the lift lobby of every two HDB blocks. As for AEDs, Mr Shanmugam said SCDF’s target is to have one defibrillator within a 250m reach in urban areas by the end of 2025.
Under the Save-A-Life Initiative, SCDF has installed more than 5,100 AEDs at lift lobbies of HDB blocks and condominiums, and will work with the People’s Association and National Parks Board to have more defibrillators at parks, and private and public establishments, he added.
He also announced that SingPost will join SCDF’s AED-on-Wheels programme in 2023.
Launched in 2015, the programme equips vehicles from Strides, Grab, ComfortDelGro and Ninja Van with AEDs. Drivers are also trained to render cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic first aid, as well as how to use the AED.
SingPost’s inclusion will add 25 vehicles to the existing network of 260.
To encourage more people to sign up as first responders, Mr Shanmugam said SCDF publicises the app at outreach events. These include Fire Station Open Houses and Community Resilience Days, as well as events organised with Community Emergency and Engagement Committees in the heartland.
He encouraged the public to participate in these events to learn how to do CPR, operate an AED, and also pick up firefighting or first aid skills.
The app can be downloaded from Apple or Google Play app stores.
