Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Average Response Times for Emergency Vehicles to Reach Their Destinations in the Past Three Years

Question:

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in each of the last three years (a) what is the average response time for emergency vehicles to reach their destinations to attend to emergencies; and (b) what are the common reasons for delays in emergency vehicles sending patients to hospitals.

Answer:

Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development:

1.   Sir, the median time taken for an emergency ambulance to arrive at the incident location was about 7 minutes in 2020, about 7 minutes in 2021, and about 8 minutes in 2022.

2.   A common reason when there is delay is traffic or weather conditions en-route, for example, traffic congestion during peak hours, or heavy downpour affecting road visibility. Also, sometimes, SCDF may have to dispatch emergency vehicles that are further away from the incident location because those from the nearest bases are fully engaged in other incidents.