Number of fires involving active mobility devices increased by 31% in 2023: SCDF

SINGAPORE: The number of fires involving active mobility devices (AMDs) rose by 31 per cent in 2023, according to annual statistics released by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Wednesday (Feb 21).

There were 55 cases last year, up from the 42 seen in 2022.

Overall, SCDF responded to 1,954 fires in 2023, an increase of 8.6 per cent compared to 2022. Causes of electrical origin and unattended cooking were the top two causes of fires, accounting for 597 cases and 456 cases respectively.

There were 81 fire injuries and three fire fatalities in 2023.

Fires involving AMDs, such as power-assisted bicycles and personal mobility devices, remain a key fire safety concern, especially in residential premises, said SCDF.

"Members of the public are reminded to remain vigilant when handling their AMDs, as these fires can result in serious injuries and damage to property," SCDF said. 

It also reminded AMD owners that they should dispose of their unwanted devices safely, through authorised e-waste recyclers and e-waste collection points, or during periodic collection drives by town councils.

SCDF has continued to disseminate fire safety advisories on AMD fires to the public, it said.

This includes reminders not to charge batteries for a prolonged period or leave them charging unattended overnight, and to refrain from purchasing or using non-original batteries.

BREAKDOWN OF FIRES IN 2023

Of the 1,954 fires SCDF responded to last year, 970 were fires involving residential buildings. This was an increase from 935 fires in 2022.

Fires due to unattended cooking made up the largest proportion of fires in residential buildings. There were 384 fires caused by unattended cooking in 2023, an increase of 12 per cent compared to 2022.

AMDs were involved in 35 of the 276 residential fires of electrical origin – an increase of 12.9 per cent from 2022. The figure of 276 was also 21.1 per cent higher than the number seen for such fires the year before.

There were 91 fires involving discarded items in 2023, a decrease of 8.1 per cent from the 99 seen in 2022. 

"These fires typically occur in common areas, such as lift lobbies, staircase landings and common corridors," said SCDF.

SCDF said it will continue its efforts to educate the public on fire prevention through public engagement activities such as its Community Resilience Day events and SGSecure roadshows.

Meanwhile, there were 580 non-building fires in 2023, an increase of 34.9 per cent from the 430 seen in 2022.

Of these, 133 were vegetation fires, an increase of 25.5 per cent from the 106 in 2022. 

"The increase could be due to drier weather conditions in 2023 compared to 2022," said SCDF.

There were also 106 fires involving discarded items and 215 vehicle fires. Both saw increases from the year before – of 165 per cent and 5.4 per cent respectively.

The significant increase in discarded item fires "could be attributed to a rise in indiscriminate disposal of unwanted items and materials at open spaces like back alleys, areas near service roads and grass patches", said SCDF.

It added that it will step up enforcement checks and public education efforts for such fires.

Non-residential building fires dropped from 434 in 2022 to 404 last year, a decrease SCDF attributed to fire prevention efforts by itself and the National Fire and Emergency Preparedness Council.

"SCDF will continue to make regular enforcement checks to ensure that these premises comply with fire safety regulations," it said.

DECREASE IN EMERGENCY CALLS IN 2023

SCDF responded to 246,832 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls in 2023 – a 3.9 per cent decrease compared to 2022 when there was a spike in calls due to multiple waves of COVID-19 variants, SCDF said.

However, it noted that EMS demand in 2023 remained high, with an average of 676 EMS calls daily, which was 30 per cent higher than in 2019.

Of the 246,832 calls it responded to, 229,823 were emergency calls, 10,724 were non-emergency calls and 6,285 were false alarm calls.

SCDF said it has been actively raising public awareness on the importance of calling 995 only for emergencies since 2017.

This public education drive has contributed to a decrease in non-emergency calls over the years, it said, with the number of emergency calls dropping by 7.1 per cent in 2023.

False alarm calls increased by 3.2 per cent in 2023, with SCDF adding that "it is still a concern as every false alarm call takes away an available resource for an emergency".

Of the emergency calls, 79.7 per cent were medical-related, including chest pain and cardiac arrest calls, with 16.3 per cent involving trauma cases and 4 per cent being related to traffic accidents.

SCDF said that the number of EMS calls beyond 2023 is expected to trend upwards in the longer term, due to the rising demand for emergency services from Singapore's ageing population.

SCDF ENFORCEMENT CHECKS

SCDF conducted 15,044 enforcement checks in 2023, an increase of 17.6 per cent compared to the 12,792 it conducted in 2022.

SCDF said it had conducted more enforcement checks following the full resumption of business activities in 2023.

It issued 1,466 notices of offence (NOOs) and 2,734 fire hazard abatement notices (FHANs).

"The most common fire hazard was the non-maintenance of firefighting equipment, which accounted for 26.5 per cent of all FHANs issued," SCDF said.

"The most common fire safety violation was the unauthorised change of use of premises, which accounted for 43.2 per cent of all NOOs issued."