SINGAPORE, Feb 23 — There was a significant spike in the number of fire injuries and fire incidents involving electric bicycles and personal mobility devices (PMDs) reported last year than the year before.

Figures released by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) yesterday showed that fire injuries increased by 50 per cent to 90 last year. Four fire fatalities were reported, one up from the previous year.

Last year also saw 74 fires involving electric bicycles (power-assisted bicycles) and PMDs. This was a 51 per cent jump from 49 cases in 2017.

Of the 74 fires, 50 involved e-scooters, 22 involved electric bicycles and the remaining two were other PMDs.

Fire incidents involving electric bicycles saw the largest jump last year. Such cases more than tripled from seven in 2017 to 22. Those involving e-scooters went up by 25 per cent from 40 to 50 cases over the same period.

These led to 12 fire-related injuries last year, said Alan Loh, chairman of the National Fire and Civil Emergency Preparedness Council (NFEC).

Most of the power-assisted bicycles and PMD fires were caused by lithium ion batteries and occurred during battery charging or shortly after, said the SCDF. It reminded members of the public "to be more vigilant as these fires can result in casualties and serious damage to property”.

Loh said: "NFEC will continue to work with SCDF to intensify our public education efforts on such fire prevention.” 

Fire safety tips to prevent battery fires

Do not leave batteries or devices to charge overnight unattended or over a prolonged period.

Ensure that the device complies with the Land Transport Authority’s guidelines and only buy devices from reputable sources.

Do not tamper with, modify or attempt to repair a device on your own.

When charging a device, keep it in a cool room away from heat, place it on hard, open and flat surfaces, do not place it near combustible materials and keep it away from an entrance or exit.

Increased response time

From April 1, life-threatening medical cases will receive enhanced support and faster response times as SCDF kicks off the second phase of its tiered Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response framework.

For instance, in a case where a victim suffers out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, more emergency responders will be dispatched to provide prompt medical treatment and perform high-performance cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

High-performance CPR focuses on cutting down unnecessary pauses in chest compressions and ensures that they are done to the ideal depth, appropriate rate and with controlled ventilation.

SCDF will also deploy more emergency medical technicians in red rhinos, fire engines or fire medical vehicles, as well as an emergency ambulance and fire bike for life-threatening cases.

This response framework has three key components: Life-threatening cases, minor emergencies and non-emergency.

Deployment of EMS will be based on the severity of the medical emergencies. For minor emergencies that are less time-sensitive, the public can expect to wait longer than before, because priority will be given to life-threatening cases, said the SCDF.

Previously, SCDF responded to calls on a first-come-first-served basis within 11 minutes.

For non-emergencies that do not require EMS, SCDF will not be conveying these cases to hospitals. Instead, individuals will be advised to seek treatment from their family doctor or nearby general practitioners, or dial 1777 for a non-emergency ambulance at a fee.

In order to improve EMS response time, other emergency vehicles such as red rhinos and fire engines will be exempted from the Road Traffic Act from April 1. This will allow the vehicles to pass red traffic lights and make U-turns at non-designated junctions.

Ambulances were formally exempted in December 2017, and the SCDF said that no accidents involving ambulances that exercised this right had occurred since then.

Other statistics

Emergency Medical Services