Responders, Partners & Volunteers Appreciation Event 2025 – Speech by Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development

Commissioner Eric Yap,

Distinguished Guests,

Our Community Partners and Volunteers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. A very good evening to each and every one of you.

Appreciating Responders, Partners and Volunteers

2. I am honoured to be invited to this event where like-minded and big-hearted people are gathered here today to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions made to our community. To our responders, community partners and volunteers, thank you for taking the lead to propel our community into A Nation of Lifesavers. Thank you to you.

3. Many of us know that during an emergency, the immediate response of those nearby is critical:

(a) For cardiac arrests, a victim’s chance of survival drops by about 10% for every minute without intervention.

(b) Similarly, interventions in the first few minutes of minor fires are crucial to prevent them from spreading.

(c) During a terror attack, the immediate activation of lockdown procedures, evacuation, and applying first aid to victims, are all essential actions to save lives.

4. According to the SGSecure Public Perception Survey 2024, there is a steady increase in the number of survey respondents who were familiar or trained in emergency preparedness skills over the years. A majority of these individuals were also willing to apply these skills in an emergency or when someone is in need. It is truly heartening to see more and more people in our community taking emergency preparedness seriously.

5. Take Mr. Chia Jun Wei for example, he is one of SCDF’s youngest top Community First Responders (CFR). At age 22, he has already assisted in over 25 cardiac arrest emergencies and 12 fire incidents.

6. Last February, Jun Wei responded to an emergency alert on the myResponder App. A patient had suffered a cardiac arrest at home. He retrieved an AED from the lobby of a nearby HDB block and together with two other responders, administered AED and conducted CPR on a patient. Thanks to Jun Wei’s timely intervention and the others’ lifesaving actions, the patient survived.

7. During such medical emergencies, every second counts. SCDF emergency medical services (EMS) strives very hard to reach a patient as soon as possible. SCDF aims to respond to 80% of all emergency medical calls within 11 minutes. However, the rising number of EMS calls due in part to Singapore's ageing population, presents tremendous challenges for the SCDF and its EMS crew.

8. To meet the increasing demand, SCDF has been proactively implementing various measures to deal with the increasing call load over the years. As early as 2009, SCDF expanded its EMS strength by contracting Private Ambulance Operators to augment the SCDF EMS fleet. In 2017, SCDF implemented the EMS Tiered Response Framework to recalibrate the response to medical cases based on their severity. Continual public education to call 995 only for emergencies have also helped to manage the demand on EMS. Overall, these initiatives have enabled SCDF to ensure that emergency resources are available for those who need them the most.

9. Beyond 2025, SCDF expects the number of medical calls to continue to increase. Today, almost 50% of the overall EMS calls are from patients that are 65 years and above. Correspondingly, SCDF will have to continue to build up its ambulance fleet resources, given that SCDF is already facing a shortage of local manpower for the roles of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians. To better meet the growing demands, from March 2025 onwards, SCDF will start to hire foreigners to complement our teams in the EMS workforce. This is no different from the approach taken for the wider healthcare sector.

10. The SCDF will first look to expanding the recruitment pool for the EMS from ASEAN countries. If necessary, we will expand it beyond the region. Suitable foreign hires will undergo rigorous training, to be accredited to SCDF’s standards. This will ensure that the foreign hires provide a level of service and professionalism that is in accordance with SCDF's EMS protocols.

Call-to-Action for a Nation of Lifesavers

11. While the SCDF is gearing up their manpower recruitment to meet future challenges, it is pertinent that our community has the capability and resilience to help ourselves and others during emergencies. As of January 2025, we have over 204,000 registered Community Responders.

12. These CFRs are the intermediaries to prevent further escalation of fires and possibly enhance the survival rates of patients before the arrival of the SCDF. Our network of CFRs has attended to more than 13,000 cases over the last ten years. Beyond responding to fire and cardiac arrest emergencies, the broadened scope of the SGSecure Responders’ Network since 2022 allows Community Responders to contribute in various roles such as proactive reporting of suspicious sightings and combating online falsehoods through sharing verified information from official sources to safeguard our social fabric. These roles are equally critical in strengthening our community’s resilience.

13. The work of the CFRs reminds us that no effort is too small. Every action can make a big difference to the lives of those facing an emergency – every volunteer makes a difference.

14. Do you know that anyone, even those who are not trained in emergency preparedness skills, can also sign up as a CFR through the SGSecure or myResponder app? There is a common misconception that being a Responder requires high levels of commitment and specialised skills. I want to emphasise that this is certainly not the case. Regardless of how big or small a role may seem; every individual’s contribution matters when we play our part. Simple acts such as fetching an AED, pouring water down a rubbish chute to put out a minor fire, or reporting suspicious sightings do not require training but can make a big difference in the outcome of an incident.

15. In fact, SCDF, in partnership with the Temasek Foundation, has strengthened readiness in the community through the Lifesavers’ Emergency Point (LEP) initiative. This involves installing over 5,000 publicly accessible fire extinguishers across one in every two HDB blocks. This complements the existing AEDs under the Save-A-Life initiative. While installations are still ongoing island-wide, these fire extinguishers have already proven effective, having been used by members of public to attend to more than 70 minor fire incidents. I am also glad to announce that more than 80% of all targeted HDB blocks in Singapore have been equipped with an LEP fire extinguisher. I look forward to the completion of this initiative and am confident that this will empower our community to step forward and provide help when the need arises.

16. Building A Nation of Lifesavers who are willing to help their fellow Singaporeans also fosters a sense of unity. A resilient and united community can better navigate times of crisis and national emergencies like a terror attack. For this reason, our SGSecure movement continues to emphasise the pivotal role of Responders in safeguarding our nation against the threat of terrorism and extremism.

17. To quote PM Lawrence Wong’s recent 2025 Chinese New Year message, “The world is becoming more dangerous, with terrorist groups exploiting conflicts to further their agendas. While we remain vigilant against threats, we must also be prepared for the possibility of an attack here. In such times, we must stand united – resolute, undivided, and committed to protecting our harmony and way of life.”

18. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched our inaugural SGSecure music video, titled “Foiled Once More”, and the SGSecure Instagram account last July. We hope you can help us “like” and “share” the music video and IG with your friends and family to raise awareness on the importance of vigilance, resilience and cohesion in our fight against terrorism.

Thanking Our Partners and Volunteers

19. Besides Temasek Foundation, there are many other key partners here today who have been working with us closely to achieve our goals. Thank you for your strong support, and we look forward to deepening our partnerships and exploring other initiatives to serve our community. We also hope that other organisations will be inspired by your actions, and step forward as partners of our Responders’ network.

20. This year, we commemorate the 156th year of Civil Defence volunteerism, a milestone marking the establishment of Singapore’s first official voluntary fire brigade. Our collective efforts would not be possible without the invaluable contributions of our volunteers from the Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit, Civil Defence Lionhearters Club and the National Civil Defence Cadet Corps.

21. I’m very inspired when I met quite a number of you among these groups. And it just amazes me what you are passionate and committed to do, and what you have been doing together with your friends, fellow volunteers. So I really applaud what you have been doing and I hope you will continue to inspire others so that we can journey together as a society.

22. As key ambassadors of emergency preparedness, our volunteers are the ones who share lifesaving skills and knowledge with the community, empowering others to act in times of need. Each one of you plays a crucial role in our mission. We hope you will continue to inspire and empower the people around you to step forward in keeping Singapore safe and secure.

Key Milestones – The Refreshed myResponder and SGSecure App

23. Since the last Responders’ and Partners’ Appreciation Event in 2024, we have been working on ways to better develop and support our Responders.

24. SCDF has rolled out a new version of the enhanced myResponder app last July. The new version allows CFRs to receive alerts of incidents within a larger vicinity and select different routes to the incident location, depending on whether the user is driving or travelling on foot. Additionally, a Community News page highlights success stories, encouraging more CFRs to step forward.

25. The latest addition to the array of new features will be the myResponder Award and a virtual Hall of Fame page. These latest features recognise and celebrate the contributions of our top CFRs. CFRs featured in this virtual Hall of Fame are awarded Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards based on the number of emergencies they have attended to over the past year. Later this year, further enhancements, including a video call function with the SCDF Operations Centre, will be introduced. With these improvements, we hope that the myResponder app will better support CFRs when they attend to cases and encourage more to sign up and benefit from its features.

26. So, you know, at times as part of my work, I attend meetings – ASEAN or even some other international meetings, and we share what we have with our counterparts. And many are impressed with the myResponder app. I will say, while we can develop the app, but without you playing a part – in responding, in navigating, and making the app applicable, practical and being a part of a Nation of Livesavers, things wouldn’t happen. So I thank my colleagues from SCDF for really being innovative, thinking out of the box to make things happen. But I think equally, and I think more importantly – are your contributions. So I hope you can encourage more and more people to be part of this myResponder app so that we can actually close as much gap as possible in saving lives, because every second counts. So we have people that serve, and the rest of Singaporeans, and those who live here who believe in life saving – saving lives. I think that makes it very important. So continue to help us to share myResponder app and to also get people to be part of it. Because like what I shared in my speech earlier, any part you play in saving a life is very important. You never know the person you shared to download the app – may be the one to make the one second difference.

27. Similarly, the latest enhancements to the SGSecure app were released in June 2024. Such additional enhancements and features would be released periodically as part of MHA’s continuous efforts to improve the SGSecure app and better support our Responders. Relevant enhancements to the myResponder app’s features pertaining to the ‘Respond’ function would also be included in the SGSecure app for greater synergy. And I must applaud the development unit as well. Because at the end of the day, you know, while many of us think Singapore is safe and secure, but you never know, right? And it’s always good to be prepared. It’s always good to be able to anticipate so that we can respond accordingly when things happen.

Conclusion

28. In closing, I would like to once again thank all our Responders, partners and volunteers for your strong support as effective mobilisers within your own network and circle of influence. Your willingness to step forward during emergencies, and your dedication to growing our Responders’ network, have certainly made Singapore a safer home for all of us. Let us press on with our efforts towards becoming A Nation of Lifesavers and continue working together to keep Singapore safe and secure.

29. Thank you.