Condolences pour in for 19-year-old NSF firefighter who died in Henderson Rd blaze

A full-time National Serviceman (NSF) firefighter was pronounced dead at the hospital after collapsing at the scene of a fire at 19 Henderson Road.

“SCDF and his teammates are very saddened by his death and extend our deepest condolences to his family. The NSF firefighter was part of the first response crew for this fire incident, and was bravely carrying out his mission of protecting and saving lives and property,” SCDF added.

The SCDF has put up a Facebook profile picture and cover photo in black and white following the mishap.

“Very unfortunate that a full-time SCDF NSF firefighter passed away today while fighting a fire at Henderson Road. Young man. Very sad. Home Team officers work tirelessly and bravely every day to keep our homes and Singaporeans safe. We do our best to protect our officers, but the nature of the work means that there will always be risks. My deepest condolences to his family. MHA will assist them during this difficult time,” wrote K Shanmugam, the Minister for Home Affairs.

Ms Joan Pereira, who represents representing the Henderson–Dawson division of Tanjong Pagar GRC in Parliament, wrote in a Facebook post, “It was immensely painful for me to hear of the news about the passing of our courageous and selfless firefighter today. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. I would like to pay a tribute to him as well as all of our first responders who answered the call of duty to save lives with courage and determination.”

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng also expressed condolences to the young officer’s family, as did Senior Minister of State for National Development and Communications and Information Tan Kiat How and Members of Parliament Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC) and Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang GRC).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the fire on Thursday morning (Dec 8) at 11:00 am. A fourth-floor unit was engulfed in flames and smoke when the SCDF firefighters arrived.

Dressed in breathing apparatus, the officers went into the unit bearing two water jets to put the blaze out. “Sometime into the firefighting operation, a Full-time National Serviceman (NSF) firefighter fell unconscious in the kitchen area,” SCDF said in a statement to the press regarding the fire.

He was brought out of the unit at once and was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). “An SCDF ambulance crew at the scene also used the automated external defibrillator on him and conveyed him to Singapore General Hospital.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital,” the statement said, adding that investigations are ongoing and that SCDF has extended support and assistance to the family of the fallen firefighter at this time.

Other netizens called the young officer a “hero,” while some called him a “brother.”

/TISG

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