Introduction of Civil Defence Shelter and Fire Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill

1. The Civil Defence Shelter and Fire Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill (“Bill”) was introduced for First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill proposes changes to the Civil Defence Shelter Act 1997 and the Fire Safety Act 1993, and seeks to:

(a) Strengthen SCDF’s regulatory controls over regulated shelter products for civil defence shelters; and

(b) Ensure that SCDF’s regulatory and enforcement powers for fire safety incidents and regulation of petroleum and flammable materials (“P&FM”) remain robust and pro-enterprise.

Key Features of the Bill

Amendments to the Civil Defence Shelter Act

Enhancing Regulatory Controls over the Supply of Shelter Products

2. To enhance regulatory controls over regulated shelter products (i.e., household and storey shelter doors), SCDF will be allowed to take action against parties involved in dealing with non-compliant shelter products. This includes requiring testing of the regulated shelter products and issuing directions to the parties in the supply chain if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the regulated shelter product is non-compliant with the applicable standard.

Amendments to the Fire Safety Act

Introduction of Class Licensing Regime for P&FM Activities

3. To reduce regulatory burden on businesses while maintaining robust fire safety standards, SCDF will introduce a class licensing regime for lower-risk P&FM activities. For a start, this will apply to activities such as storage of P&FM at construction sites, petrol stations, certain laboratories and buildings storing diesel solely for their emergency generators. Where applicable, class licensees such as petrol stations will also be permitted to dispense P&FM stored on their premises in accordance with the conditions of their class licence. Owners of eligible premises will no longer require individual licence approvals from SCDF, but they must meet the requirements of the class licence, including the prescribed fire safety and regulatory requirements.

4. These premises will also be subject to SCDF’s routine inspections, audits and enforcement checks. Where non-compliance or breaches are detected, SCDF may take enforcement action for offences under the class licence regulations, or revoke the class licence. Companies whose class licences have been revoked will be required to meet certain conditions – such as submitting plans to rectify the breach and ensure future compliance – before they are permitted to re-register.

5. Higher-risk P&FM activities will continue to be licensed individually.

Extension of Licence or Permit Duration

6. As part of Whole-of-Government efforts to reduce compliance burden for business, SCDF will extend the maximum validity period of licences or permits issued under the Fire Safety Act from three years to five years, with the exception of class licences, which are not time bound.

Empowering Supplementary Enforcement Officers (SEOs) to Conduct Compliance Checks for Transport-Related P&FM Activities

7. SCDF currently deploys SEOs to conduct standard fire safety enforcement checks and building inspections, while its officers focus on more complex enforcement inspections. The Bill expands the roles of SEOs by allowing SCDF to appoint SEOs to conduct compliance checks on the transport of P&FM to ensure they are moved safely. This allows SCDF officers to dedicate their expertise to more complex investigations and P&FM incidents.

Determining Tenure of Inquiry Panels

8. The Bill provides Minister with the flexibility to determine the tenure of two Inquiry Panels – the Fire Safety Engineers Inquiry Panel and the Registered Inspectors Inquiry Panel – which is currently fixed at two years. This will align with similar bodies formed under the Fire Safety Act, such as the Appeal Advisory Board.  

Repeal of Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act

9. The Bill repeals the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act which is no longer required. This is because subsidiary legislations in other Acts have already been amended to ensure safe transport of the relevant scheduled chemicals by road within Singapore.


Conclusion

10. This Bill strengthens SCDF’s regulatory framework by streamlining and reducing licensing processes, enhancing enforcement capabilities, and improving regulatory oversight. This maintains Singapore’s robust civil defence preparedness and fire safety standards while supporting a pro-enterprise and business-friendly environment