2. It gives me great pleasure to join you here today on this momentous occasion, to mark one hundred years of history, at this centenary celebration of Central Fire Station. Today is a special moment for SCDF and all its personnel, both past and present.
Looking Back - 100 Years
3. Central Fire Station was built in 1909. Using bricks and iron imported from England, the fire station has distinctive rusticated red brick, arched doorways and a plaster banded facade. However, architectural considerations aside, the station was built to replace all the older small fire stations and substations around town; in what was considered an ambitious plan back then.
4. The Central Fire Station was in fact built in two phases - the older part of the station built in 1909 housed the horse drawn steam engines. An extension was built in 1926 to cater for the arrival of motorised fire fighting vehicles. The fire station’s watchtower was one of the tallest buildings in the vicinity and it served as a lookout point for fires.
5. This same spirit of evolving to harness the latest technology and equipment is still very much a part of SCDF today. Today, 100 years on, the Central Fire Station continues to provide emergency response services. The Station is equipped with state of the art appliances and equipment, which includes fire engines, Light Fire Attack Vehicles, Fire Bikes, Fast Response Paramedics, and aerial appliances which are able to reach a height of 52 meters.
Looking Ahead; Meeting New Challenges
6. Our urban landscape is evolving. Among the urban changes, the transformation of the MarinaBay area is most visible. The MarinaBay area will be turned into a major business and financial hub, with a modern and vibrant environment.
7. To ensure adequate fire, rescue and emergency ambulance coverage to the Marina South area, the development of a new fire station is in the pipeline. Currently, emergency response to this area is being covered by Central Fire Station. The construction of the Marina Bay Fire Station, which will be co-located with a Neighbourhood Police Centre, is targeted to commence in 2010 and completed by Mar 2011.
8. Another challenge that the SCDF continues to face is about how it can manage and deploy its resources effectively. To this end, the SCDF will be upgrading its current Command and Control System - the nerve centre behind SCDF’s emergency response. The new system will leverage on new technologies, such as wireless technologies, to seamlessly integrate information from various information management systems. It will also allow for real time video transmission with ground responders. This feature will give a better situational picture to officers at SCDF’s Headquarters allowing for ‘real-time’ operational decisions to be made based on live footage transmitted from responding forces. More details on this new Command and Control System will be announced when ready. This is yet another example of how the SCDF leverages on new technology to become even more effective in its operations.
CD Heritage Gallery - A Renewed Experience
9. While we look forward to new challenges, there are also lessons which we can draw from the past. Co-located with Central Fire Station is SCDF’s Civil Defence (CD) Heritage Gallery. Since its establishment in 2001, over 300,000 people have visited the CD Heritage Gallery. It has been an integral part of SCDF’s wider education effort in reaching out to and spreading the fire safety and emergency preparedness message to the community.
10. The SCDF is also working with the National Fire and Civil Emergency Preparedness Council (NFEC) on an enhancement plan to upgrade the Gallery with additional area allocated for exhibits. This project, when completed in about a year’s time, will enable members of public the opportunity to acquire Emergency Preparedness skills and knowledge through engaging and interactive simulators. This will go a long way towards further raising the community preparedness to deal with emergencies.
Centenary Celebrations - Reaching Out
11. It is also heartening to hear that the SCDF has not forgotten about helping the community even as it celebrates the 100 years of history of the Central Fire Station. Today’s celebration will also include a fund-raising initiative, to help raise funds for the St Andrews Cathedral Home for the Aged, one of SCDF’s adopted charities. This is a commendable gesture.
12. Today, Central Fire Station enters the pages of our history books as not only being the oldest existing fire station in Singapore, but also a fire station that has transformed and modernised with time. It is a symbol of SCDF’s rich legacy as well as its preparedness for the future. Just as it has been keeping watch over the city centre for the last 100 years, I am sure that Central Fire Station will continue to play an important role in keeping this area safe and sound for many more years to come.
13. Thank you.