Phone signal in lifts necessary in emergencies

In Housing Board blocks, the telephone number of the emergency maintenance unit (EMU) is displayed at the lift lobby of every floor.

Many residents would have stored the EMU telephone number in their mobile phones to call for assistance when trapped in the lift.

Unfortunately, at the block where I reside, completed in the mid-1980s, there is no phone signal in the lift cabin when the doors are closed. It defeats the purpose of having the EMU telephone number when the person trapped in the lift cannot call for assistance on a mobile phone.

Town councils or the HDB should ensure that all HDB blocks have access to telephone signals; they should also upgrade those blocks that do not have signals, so residents can call EMU when necessary.

Chin Kee Thou

This article was first published on Aug 12, 2015.
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