SINGAPORE - Programme manager Robert Ronald reckons many Singaporeans' first instinct would be to take a video if a terror attack happened where they were.
"But they should not. They should run, hide, and tell," said Mr Ronald, 48, who heads the community emergency and engagement grassroots committee in Kolam Ayer.
Kolam Ayer residents learnt what to do if an attack hits the heartlands on Sunday (June 11), at an Emergency Preparedness Day.
Police and civil defence force officers and actors simulated a "terror attack" outside Upper Boon Keng Market and Food Centre, where a gunman fired blanks at people having breakfast.
Those who were not shot at fled or hid, and one woman used her phone to contact the police while hiding.
These community events will be held across all 89 constituencies as part of the SGSecure national movement to prepare Singaporeans for a terror attack.
Said Mr Ronald: "It's a visual way of telling people what they should do. They can remember they saw someone hiding, for example."
Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim, the MP for the area, attended the event and urged residents to do their part to counter terrorism.
"When an attack happens, we have to stand together and not spread rumours to cause distrust among our community," he said.
"This will be playing straight into the hands of the terrorists, whose goals are to sow hatred and fear," added Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for Muslim Affairs.
He also encouraged people to inform the authorities if anyone around them behaves differently from usual and has radical views.
The minister also called on Singaporeans to stay united and rally together as a community.
He cited how people helped each other after the Manchester terror attack last month, with cabbies offering free rides in the chaos following the bomb blast and residents offering their rooms to those who needed refuge.
"These acts of kindness are crucial to help the community recover in the face of adversity," he added.
At the event, residents also visited various booths to learn first aid skills including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and how to use a fire extinguisher and automated external defibrillators.
"When the time comes, we'd better know what to do. We cannot panic," said Mr Chiang Heng Liang, 57, the Kolam Ayer citizens' consultative committee chairman.
Asked what she learnt, housewife Ong Sok Poh said simply: "Hide."
"It's hard to say if an attack will happen here. But it's best to be prepared," the 73-year-old added in Mandarin.
