SCDF's hot new machines

As explosions tear through the chemical facility, large plumes of smoke and toxic gas rise skyward.

Anyone caught in the blast area would either be killed or seriously injured.

With fires that could burn at 2,000 deg C, firefighters could take hours trying to get it under control.

Sending rescuers into the disaster area would also mean they could end up as casualties.

That is why the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will be using unmanned vehicles to help fight such fires.

At yesterday's Workplan Seminar, an annual platform for the SCDF to lay out plans for the year ahead, it unveiled several new types of equipment.

The UFM

The SCDF recently bought four remote-controlled unmanned fire-fighting machines (UFM), which will be deployed at different stations.

One, already stationed at Jurong Fire Station, was brought in three weeks ago, said Major Ivan Kwok, project team leader for the UFM.

While it has not been deployed to fight any fires here yet, it is already operational.

The remaining three will arrive in July and will be deployed at Jurong Island, Yishun and Changi fire stations.

The Austria-made vehicles will likely be used in high fire load situations, such as industrial or petrochemical fires where there may be a lot of combustible material, Maj Kwok said.

He added that the four fire stations were chosen because of their proximity to high risk areas and because they can best cover the whole of Singapore.

Operating the machine is not difficult, said Maj Kwok, but it will take firefighters some time to master it.

"Fire is very dynamic, so they need to know how to use the correct means at the correct moment," he said.

The power of the machine means that mistakes could be exacerbated.

He said firefighters need to be familiar with fire-fighting strategies, like when to use the water mist, when to throw foam, at what distance, at which angle and so forth.

The UFM can withstand temperatures up to 600 deg C and can fight fires using intense water mists, water jets and foam.

It can also negotiate stairs with an incline of 30 degrees, push and pull debris up to its own weight of 2,000kg, and can lift up to 400kg with its forklift attachment.

For Sergeant Md Aliff, controlling the UFM for the first time gave him an adrenaline rush. He is one of the firefighters being trained to use it.

He said he was excited to be handling such a large, modern machine.

"I felt like I was in a new era of fire fighting," he said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Alvin Tan, commander of the 3rd CD Division, said the UFM can also ventilate a warehouse the size of a football field, 80m high, in just half-an-hour.

The machine, he said, frees up manpower to perform other tasks, like search and rescue operations.

Responders can penetrate fires deeper and faster, said Lt-Col Tan, and the UFM improves safety for SCDF personnel by acting as a buffer, with fewer men needed to battle the blaze.

T3 Motion Patroller

The SCDF also introduced the T3 Motion Patroller, which allows responders to monitor the spread of chemical plumes more effectively.

A number of automated casualty conveyance systems to cope with mass-casualty situations are also being developed.

Addressing SCDF personnel and other key stakeholders at the closed-door seminar, SCDF Commissioner Eric Yap said the force is leveraging technology to enhance its operational effectiveness.

He said: "SCDF is pushing all frontiers to improve and innovate."

A nation of life savers

On top of the spanking new equipment on show, SCDF Commissioner Eric Yap said that the force wants to build a "nation of life savers" by 2025, where Singaporeans are able to respond to everyday emergencies prior to SCDF's arrival.

SCDF hopes to achieve this by investing in its people, leveraging on technology and strengthening ties with the community.

One example is the Emergency Preparedness Centre that will open in a few months.

It features a 4-D virtual reality simulator that was on display at the seminar.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, who was the guest of honour, said the simulator can be deployed to put people in situations and to test them against lessons they have learnt.

01 Unmanned Firefighting Machine (UFM)

The UFM is the latest addition to SCDF's arsenal. This versatile machine can:

1. Fight fire using water mist, jet and foam

2. Tap water from open-sources such as reservoirs and swimming pools

3. Operate in complex and hazardous environments.

UFM help frees up critical tasks of frontline responders so they can attend to rescue and evacuations

02 T3 Motion Patroller

It has sensors and detectors for Hazmat monitoring and surveillance. It is used as a means of transport for staff to quickly identify the safe and danger zones around the incident.

03 SESTO Light Transport

Automatically following a track marked out by tape or painted lines, this prototype can carry loads of up to 150kg. it will stop when it detects an obstacle.

04 Automated Casualty Conveyance System

This prototype provides quick conveyance of non-ambulatory casualty from personnel decontamination point to the first-aid point. easily set-up by two responders, it can transport casualty at 2m per second, faster than normal walking speed. This frees up the manpower that is normally needed to carry the casualty.

The length of the track can be adjusted depending on circumstances.

05 Red Rhino Ver 2.1 (Light Fire Attack Vehicle or LFAV)

The new compact and agile vehicle has:

1. Bigger foam tank (150 litres)

2. auto transmission

3. Three-litre turbo diesel engine

4. motorsports roll-over cage

5. Two sets of backpack Compressed Air Foam (CAF)

This article was published on April 18 in The New Paper.

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