Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Utilisation Rates of SCDF’s First-Responder Apps for Civilians by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question

Mr Ang Hin Kee: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what has been the utilisation rate and number of users following SCDF's launch of the Save-a-Life initiative and myResponder mobile app to enhance emergency response; and (b) whether there are plans to expand the reach to more public and private spaces and to more members of the public who are trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and with using automated external defibrillators.

Answer:

1. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) launched the Save-A-Life Initiative in August 2015, to increase the survival rate of cardiac arrest victims by building a network of trained community first responders to respond to cardiac arrest cases in their immediate vicinity.

2. As part of the Save-a-life initiative, the SCDF will install AEDs at the lift lobbies of HDB blocks, with one AED for every two to three blocks.  The first phase was implemented from August last year where 160 AEDs were installed in six constituencies: Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Pasir Ris West, Radin Mas, and Tampines West. Another 227 AEDs will be installed this year at these constituencies. We will progressively extend this to all HDB estates by 2018.

3. The AED installation will be accompanied by training for residents to be community responders.  SCDF has worked with the Ministry of Health and the People's Association to provide CPR and AED training to community responders through the "Dispatcher Assisted first Responder" (DARE) programme.  To date, about 300 residents have been trained in each of the six pilot constituencies.

4. Residents and members of the public who are trained in CPR and AED skills are then encouraged to download the SCDF myResponder Mobile app and register themselves as Community First Responders. In the event of a cardiac arrest case, SCDF will notify, through the app, Community First Responders in the vicinity to respond. Since its launch in April 2015, the app has been downloaded about 9,000 times. The Community First Responders have been alerted to more than 3,800 cardiac arrest cases.

5. Apart from our neighbourhoods, SCDF is working with MOH and the Singapore Heart Foundation to encourage more public and private establishments to install AEDs and train their staff.  All schools, community centres, sports stadiums, SAF camps and Home Team facilities have already installed AEDs.  A recent initiative that SCDF implemented last November was with SMRT and Temasek Cares to install AEDs in 100 SMRT taxis.  In the event of a cardiac arrest case, the trained taxi driver can quickly go to the scene to help.

6. SCDF will continue to expand the reach of its 'Save-A-Life' initiative to enhance community self-help and to improve the survival rate of cardiac arrest cases.