With the agreement of the bereaved family, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will be holding a ceremonial funeral to honour the firefighter who passed away after an operation at 91 Henderson Road on Dec. 8.
According to a Facebook post by SCDF on Dec. 9, Corporal Edward H Go is the first firefighter to have fallen during an operation.
SCDF said that they are deeply saddened by his death.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, and are providing them with our fullest support,” the statement wrote.
More about the firefighter and the incident
In the post, SCDF also detailed what happened during the firefighting operation.
The 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) fell unconscious in the kitchen area during the operation. He was then brought out of the unit and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered on him.
An SCDF ambulance crew at the scene also used the automated external defibrillator on him and conveyed him to Singapore General Hospital (SGH). He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, SCDF wrote.
According to SCDF, Go was enlisted with the SCDF to serve his National Service on Jan. 5, 2022.
He began his 12 weeks of training as a firefighter on Feb. 3, 2022, and completed his training on Apr. 28.
Prior to enlistment, Go was certified medically fit and assessed to be of Physical Employment Standards’ (PES) ‘A’.
After completing his Firefighter Course, Go was posted to Central Fire Station on May 4.
Since his posting to the fire station, he had responded to more than 20 fire and rescue incidents.
Go was part of the first response crew for the fire incident on Dec. 8 at Henderson Road.
SCDF also said that their frontline units comprise regulars, Full-time NSFs and Operationally Ready National Servicemen (ORNSmen), all of whom are trained to carry out roles as Rota Commanders, Section Commanders or Firefighters.
In a fire or rescue emergency, officers of these vocations form a composite crew to respond to the incident. All the training for these different roles and responsibilities are carried out centrally at the Civil Defence Academy through various firefighting and rescue courses.
“SCDF officers, like CPL Edward, put their lives on the line each time they enter the scene of a fire in order to save others,” SCDF said.
Top image via Our Tanjong Pagar and obit.sg
