Regular scenario-based emergency evacuation drills for wider population

Question:

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether there are plans to roll out mandatory or regular scenario-based emergency evacuation drills for more Singaporeans that go beyond fire safety.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has established evacuation guidelines for emergencies beyond fires, such as hazardous material incidents and natural disasters. These are published in the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook, which is available to the public. Premises that meet the specified criteria, such as public buildings with an occupant load exceeding 200 persons, are required to establish emergency response plans and conduct evacuation drills at least once a year.

2. Beyond the requirements on premises, the SCDF and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) conduct a range of engagements and scenario-based emergency preparedness exercises to strengthen community readiness for emergencies. The SPF and SCDF work closely with Safety and Security Watch Group (SSWG) members, which consist of business stakeholders, to conduct security surveys, share best practices and deliver training on building safety and security awareness. Exercises are also regularly conducted with SSWG members to validate their contingency response plans and ensure their readiness in the event of emergencies. This includes Exercise Heartbeat, a counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness exercise, that is held at different locations every year and involves a range of stakeholders.

3. The SPF and SCDF also conduct Community Resilience Day programmes which include activities that teach residents how to respond during a terror attack and other emergencies.

4. In addition, through the SGSecure movement, MHA and the cluster leads work closely with stakeholders to conduct emergency preparedness drills for terrorist attacks in schools, workplaces, and the community.

5. Together, these initiatives seek to equip Singaporeans with the skills and confidence to respond to a broad range of emergencies and strengthen community resilience. But in our secure environment, a lot of effort continues to be needed to have effective public education. Agencies will continue to review the scope of these exercises to ensure that more Singaporeans are prepared to respond to crises.