CIVIL DEFENCE SCHEME (Particulars)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Law, since the implementation of the Civil Defence Scheme, (a) how many constituencies have responded and how many volunteers there are; (b) what training courses have been given to the volunteers; (c) whether he will consider improving and strengthening the civil defence units that have been set up in the constituencies; and (d) whether there are sufficient manpower and other resources to ensure that when their services are required there will be this back-up facility.

Mr Wong Kan Seng (for the Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Law): Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Civil Defence (CD) Scheme was launched in November 1982, a total of 62 Constituencies have joined the Scheme. 23,126 residents have been registered as volunteers.

CD volunteers depending on the stage of their training can attend different levels of training. Newly recruited CD volunteers attend basic training in fire-fighting, first-aid, rescue and evacuation. Volunteers with leadership potential are selected for advanced training by attending the Volunteer Commanders' Course at the CD Training School, The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has, thus far, conducted three such courses. In addition, specialized courses to upgrade the knowledge of volunteers on subjects such as advanced first-aid have also been conducted.

CD volunteers in Constituencies will be organized into Units with a formal command structure. Regular exercises will be conducted to improve their capability and enhance their effectiveness. These Volunteer Units will be supplemented and strengthened with Reservist Units. In each RC Zone, there will be one Volunteer Company working together with and supporting the Reservist Company to carry out CD operations. The reservists will come from ex-SAF and ex-Police officers. Because of their training in the SAF and Police, these reservists will bring with them experience in dealing with emergency situations. In addition, specialized CD Units trained to undertake complex CD tasks using specialized equipment and heavy plants will be formed to strengthen our CD capability at the Constituencies. The SCDF will continually upgrade the skills of volunteers and reservists through frequent training and exercises to keep them prepared for any emergency.

The SCDF has drawn up an overall build-up plan to establish CD Units in all Constituencies. The manpower and resources required have also been worked out. When the Force is fully built up, there should be 65,000 reservists and 30,000 volunteers. The reservists would come from ex-SAF, ex-Police and CD reservists. These sources are adequate for the full build-up of the Force. The equipment for the Units to carry out their missions in an emergency are being purchased in stages as the Units are established. Some of the equipment like heavy plant and transport vehicles will not be purchased. Instead, they will be mobilized from the civil resources. The SCDF will constantly review its manpower and resources to ensure that they are adequate to meet any situation.