During the fire that broke out at a Toa Payoh flat at The Peak on August 29, the SCDF faced problems while trying to put out the fire.
SCDF personnel discovered that the block’s wet riser was not functioning when they were trying to carry out their operations.
The wet riser is what connects the water jets for fire fighting.
They revealed that generally, they use both the hose reels and water jets simultaneously during firefighting.
SCDF said: “In the case of the fire at The Peak, SCDF officers could promptly enter one of the affected units to rescue two trapped persons with the use of hose reels. The fires at both HDB units were effectively extinguished using the hose reels.”
A notice has since been issued to the Bishan Toa Payoh Town Council about the wet riser system.
The SCDF also added that they are investigating the cause of the malfultion and will take further enforcement action against the responsible parties where necessary.
Also, that wasn’t the only problem that the SCDF faced.
They also encountered difficulty entering the estate due to space constraints at one of the entrance, resulting in one of the emergency vehicles deployed not being able to enter the scene.
The SCDF said that designated entry and exit points were in palce for emergency vehicles under the 2007 Fire Code, which applied to the building plan for The Peak when it was constructed.
But the Fire Code back then did not require signage to indicate designated entry and exit points.
The emergency vehicles could exit but they’d have problems entering.
The SCDF’s Combined Platform Ladder (CPL) inadvertently tried entering the estate isomg tje designated exit for emergency vehicles.
The SCDF said: “The designated exit allowed for a sufficient turning radius for emergency vehicles to exit, but not for entering, due to other infrastructural constraints such as a linkway roof and road divider curbs.”
They added that SCDF personnel were “unable to enter via the designated exit as it did not have a sufficient turning radius and clearance”.
However, the other vehicles, which used the designated entry, were able to reach the site without any issues.