Dozens pay respects on first day of wake for NSF firefighter who died battling Henderson Road blaze

SINGAPORE: Dozens of people turned up to pay their respects and tributes on the first day of a wake for a full-time national serviceman (NSF) who died battling a flat fire at Henderson Road.

NSF Corporal Edward H Go collapsed during the firefighting operation on Thursday (Dec 8) and died in hospital. On Sunday, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said investigations into the incident are ongoing.

On Sunday, crowds of people were at the wake in Sin Ming Drive, including Associate Professor Faishal and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Assoc Prof Faishal sent his condolences to CPL Go's family and thanked them for his contributions. 

"We are saddened by the loss of CPL Edward who had passed away in the line of duty, in this mission to support, protect and save lives and property," he said.

"We, in MHA and SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force), feel we have lost one of our finest firefighters. This is something that we will remember about CPL Edward – his bravery, courage, and service to our nation," he added.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "He has made the ultimate sacrifice to serve his country.

"We will wait for the investigations to be completed. It has to be done carefully, thoroughly, completely … in the meantime, I’m sure every parent feels deeply for their loss."

On Thursday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said CPL Go was the first firefighter to have died during an operation.

He was part of the first response crew to a fire at about 11.10am on Thursday at Block 91 Henderson Road.

During the firefighting operation, he fell unconscious in the kitchen area and was taken out of the Housing and Development Board (HDB) unit and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered.

An SCDF ambulance crew member also used an automated external defibrillator on him and he was taken to Singapore General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

With the agreement of his family, a ceremonial funeral will be held to honour CPL Go.

On Sunday, Assoc Prof Faishal said: "We do very thorough investigations for any incidents that we come across.

"We are currently carrying out investigations - we have started to look at the site of the incident and also the people involved. We will inform the family and the public once it has been completed."

He added that national servicemen and operationally ready national servicemen, together with regulars, play a crucial role in keeping Singapore safe and secure.

"We owe our gratitude to all the national servicemen for contributing in this aspect where they put their lives in danger, sacrifice their time, with the fullest support of their families, so that we can continue to build this nation and live in a safe and secure environment," he added.

A preliminary investigation indicated that the fire was likely to be of an electrical origin from the bedroom, the SCDF said on Saturday. 

The fire involved a two-room unit on the fourth floor of the block.

In its statement on Friday, SCDF also detailed CPL Go's training prior to the incident. He enlisted with SCDF on Jan 5 to serve his National Service, and began his 12 weeks of training as a firefighter on Feb 3. The NSF completed his training on Apr 28 and was posted to Central Fire Station on May 4 after completing his firefighter course.

Prior to his enlistment, CPL Go was certified medically fit and assessed to be of Physical Employment Standards’ (PES) A, said SCDF. According to the Central Manpower Base's website, those in PES A and PES B1 are suitable for frontline operational vocations.