Dealing with industrial fires: How a simulator helps boost confidence of SCDF personnel

SINGAPORE: “BANG!”

It was an explosion so loud, even waiting in anticipation for it to happen could not stop one from flinching.

Then there was a huge leak from a pipe, before a massive fire emerged.

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel then jumped into action to stop the leak and extinguish the fire.

It was as realistic as it gets, but this was actually a demonstration of the Diamond Simulator, located at the Home Team Tactical Centre.

The facility, built in 2015, is a five-storey building that simulates a typical industrial site and prepares firefighters to handle 15 different scenarios.

These include advanced industrial firefighting, dealing with hazardous materials and carrying out search-and-rescue missions.

“In the past, with fewer fire simulators and a smaller training ground, the training was perhaps less realistic and sometimes less challenging,” said Major Lionel Lee, Head, Hazmat Branch at the Civil Defence Academy. “We feel confident that our personnel will be much more prepared having gone (through) a few weeks’ training here (at the Diamond).”

INDUSTRIAL FIRES IN SINGAPORE

Every year, about 150 cases of industrial fires are dealt with by SCDF. Such fires can be more challenging to extinguish due to the nature of the location and the materials involved, so firefighters need ample training and preparation.

An example of one of the more challenging fires SCDF has had to deal with is the oil storage tank blaze on Pulau Busing that happened in March this year.

READ: Pulau Busing oil storage tank fire extinguished after ‘massive operation’: SCDF

It was the scene of one of Singapore’s biggest industrial fires, that took more than 100 firefighters six hours to extinguish.

The Diamond Simulator allows for responses to real-life scenarios to be tested, such as dealing with toxic chemical leaks.

Said Major Rayner Oon, Commander of Tampines Fire Station: “We have many industries which deal with toxic industrial chemicals, and having these personnel who are trained to deal with such incidents, who know what to do when a leak occurs, knowing how to use the specialised equipment to mitigate the leaks, I think it’s very crucial for SCDF.”

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

In some situations, officers may need to communicate with hand signals as they try to seal off a chemical leak.

This looks easy, but is anything but.

I was tasked to carry out a simple mission: To stop a container leak. All I had to do was tighten a strap on a sealing bag that would help cover the leak. But having to do that with a breathing apparatus and a chemical suit made it very challenging.

The suit weighed more than 20kg, and tightening a seal when wearing rubber gloves was tough. Plus, it was difficult to see clearly under the bulky mask.

TESTING OUT NEW TECHNOLOGY

The Diamond Simulator is also a practice bed where the SCDF tries out new firefighting tools.

The Pumper Firefighting Machine, which is on trial, was tested at the facility to demonstrate its capabilities.

The robot can operate in areas of intense heat, which means there is less risk for firefighters when they are trying to put out a big blaze.