Home Team Academy recognises innovative trainers with awards, launches its first smart classroom

He used to lug some 80kg of wood to and from his classes every month.

It was not the weight, but the bulkiness of the almost 3m-long wood pieces that bothered Second Warrant Officer (2WO) Mohammad Zaki As’at the most.

As a trainer at the Civil Defence Academy’s Urban Search and Rescue Branch, the 45-year-old conducts courses that involve building shores.

Shores are structures made with wood beams and planks to prop up and stabilise walls, windows and passageways in the event of an earthquake or building collapse, and can hold up more than 4,000kg each.

Hauling around and working with the unwieldy pieces of wood while demonstrating to trainees how to build the shores proved cumbersome.

To overcome this, 2WO Zaki came up with the idea of a model training kit, using pieces of wood and Velcro to build a miniaturised version of the shores, so trainees could understand what they were to do first before trying to build an actual shore for the course.

The models, which he developed within a year of being posted as a trainer at the academy in 2021, are five times smaller than the actual structures and weigh less than 5kg.

They are now an integral part of his lessons, which are also conducted for the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s overseas counterparts, who have complimented the use of the kit.

2WO Zaki was among 17 Home Team trainers and eight training units recognised at the Home Team Training Excellence Awards Ceremony, held at the Home Team Academy (HTA) in Old Choa Chu Kang Road on Sept 19.

He was awarded Home Team Trainer of the Year (Special Commendation).

He said that aside from helping his trainees understand the technical aspects of search and rescue operations, he also stresses to them the importance of what they are doing and to take training seriously.

He said: “Our business is in rescues and patients and casualties... With the daily routine, one may not see the weight of being a rescuer.

“But I tell them to take training very seriously, because you never know. When somebody is in need, when there’s a civil emergency or a fire, you need to respond. And whatever you’ve learnt in training needs to be applied.”

Another award winner was Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Muhammad Izwan Yusi, 37, a trainer with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s Training Command, who was presented with the Home Team Trainer of the Year (Full Time) award.

DSP Izwan found that many newer batches of trainees needed a different style of training.

He said: “Trainees of the new generation, they’re all on TikTok and Instagram Reels. They like these kinds of short videos.”

So, to make his lessons on basic protective security more effective, he began creating short videos and using infographics to better engage them.

During the ceremony, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who was guest of honour, lauded DSP Izwan for demonstrating innovation in finding new ways to engage his learners effectively.

He said: “For example, he introduced gamification into his lessons on managing border security incidents. He succeeded in engaging his learners through fostering friendly competition and interactive learning.”

Associate Professor Faishal added that he was pleased to officially launch HTA’s first smart classroom, which features an artificial intelligence-augmented video camera and lighting sensors.

The classroom is meant to support training in physical, virtual and hybrid formats, and HTA will be building the first 31 classrooms by September 2025.

HTA chief executive Anwar Abdullah said the academy remains committed to empowering Home Team trainers with the latest technology and resources.

He said: “Our enhanced smart classrooms will support our mission to continuously elevate the standard of training within the Home Team, ensuring that our trainers are well equipped to deliver effective and engaging learning experiences.”