Fire-fighting in Queenstown dates back to 1939. The colonial Auxiliary Fire Brigade had 15 officers and 60 firemen stationed at the Archipelago Brewery Company to protect British's economic and military interests and played vital roles in putting out fires in the nearby kampung villages in Alexandra Village and Mei Ling. Opened in February 1954, Alexandra Fire Station was the 3rd station in Singapore and it served an increasing population in Singapore's first satellite estate, Queenstown. Today, MyQueenstown Team will uncover the fire station's history, operations and other community activities in Restricted Access@MyQueenstown.
Alexandra Fire Station in the 1960s
Fires were common in pre-industrialised Singapore. Kampungs and villages were made from rattan and attap and they ensured that fires could engulf the entire village within seconds, with blessings from gales and breezes. One memorable fire that blazed across the night sky occurred in the squatter settlements at Bukit Ho Swee in 25 May 1961. Firefighters from Alexandra and Central Fire Station rushed to the site of fire and rescued numerous villagers from the jaws of the great fire. 2,200 attap houses were destroyed and 16,000 were made homeless. These homeless villagers were transported by military trucks to be resettled in newly built HDB estates, one of them Queenstown.
Bukit Ho Swee Residents took the trucks to Queenstown
Situated near the famous junction of Queensway and Alexandra Road, known as Rumah Bomba Circus (Malay for Fire Brigade House), Alexandra Fire Station was considered as the “busiest fire brigade house” for its extensive range of activities outside the station in the 1960s and 70s. Itinerant hawkers peddling wares were common and the area was well known for Malay street food such as satay, otak otak and mee rebus. The establishment of Queensway Shopping Centre also ensured a youthful vibrancy around the fire station which many residents had fondly memories of.
Alexandra Fire Station in the 1990s
Alexandra Fire Station in 1990s (Front View)
The relationship between the fire station, the police force and the Queenstown community inspired the construction of a complex to house both the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Singapore Police Force under one roof. In 2002, the former site of Alexandra Fire Station at Queensway was demolished and shifted to a temporary premise at the former Police Reserve Unit at Tanglin Halt. In 2005, it returned to Queensway, where it was also the headquarters for the 1st Civil Defence Division.
Alexandra Fire Station in 2002 at Tanglin Halt
The modern fire station complex at Queensway
The heroics of fire fighters are duly exemplified in many popular films and dramas. Their courage and decisiveness in mounting rescue operations to search for trapped occupants in hazardous conditions have made Queenstown a safe home for our residents.
Construction Accident at Fushionopolis
Alexandra Fire Station has a operational coverage which stretches from Farrer Road to the Southern Islands. Together with 5 other fire stations forming the 1st Civil Defence Division, they protect the Southern and Central region of Singapore from fires and respond to emergency ambulance calls to convey patients to the hospital. Furthermore, fire posts are erected in Bukit Merah, Telok Blangah and Sentosa within the Fire Station's coverage to enhance response time.
Operation Coverage of Alexandra Fire Station
The standard activation time for the fire station is 1 minute and its response time is 8 minutes. Besides having a comprehensive network of fire stations and fire posts, a clear and distinct command structure within in the SCDF is also crucial in rescue operations. The headquarters of SCDF command and control the various units through the divisions. Thereafter, these Civil Defence Divisions are responsible for their operations within their boundaries. Under the divisions are fire stations which provide immediate response to any incidents happening within their operational coverage.
Major Ryan Ong (right) - Officer Commanding of the fire station
The commander of the Alexandra Fire Station takes charge of both the fire brigade unit and ambulance service. On one hand, the responsibilities of the fire brigade include fire fighting, conducting rescue and HAZMAT operations. On the other hand, the responsibilities of the ambulance unit incorporate rescue operations involving paramedics and provision of immediate medical attention and treatment.
Fire fighters at the fire station
There are 3 rotas (or shifts) in the fire station and approximately 30 fire fighters in each rota. Each rota consists of a rota commander whose main duties are to manage and plan all activities to ensure and attain an optimum level of operational readiness of the personnel under his charge to deal with all possible emergencies, be it fire, rescue or hazmat incidents. The chain of command is further passed on to section commanders and firemen. There are about 50 Full time National Servicemen (NSFs) in the fire station, serving the SCDF as part of their national service. They will discharge their duties as medics, firemen and section commanders. The rest of the fire fighting squads consist of regulars.
Equipment and appliances are kept neatly in cages
Strict discipline enforcement is fundamental to the Civil Defence forces in Singapore. The fitness of the fire fighters, their knowledge on handling sophisticated appliances and teamwork are essential in rescue operations. Equipment drills, HAZMAT drills and CA drills are carried out daily to ensure that the personnel are operationally ready. Hydrant testing and maintenance of vehicles are also procedural routines for the fire fighters at Alexandra Fire Station. Physical training, in form of games and exercises, attempts to forge 'brotherly' bonds among the fire fighters.
Besides having a professional fire fighting force, modern equipment is used for rescue operations. Stay tune to Restricted Access@MyQueenstown next week for a glance on the operations and the equipment used in the fire station.
What are your memories of the fire station? Tell us in our facebook page now!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
POST COMMENT
6 comments:
Another good feature story of our nostalgia & younger days.
Keep it coming in ^-^
JimmyNg
Nice...
reminds me of the mid 80s. i used to play around in the station coumpond and living quaters .
I am a private loan lender which have all take to be a genuine lender i give out the best loan to my client at a very convenient rate.The interest rate of this loan is 3%.i give out loan to public and private individuals.the maximum amount i give out in this loan is $1,000,000.00 USD why the minimum amount i give out is 5000.for more information contact us Email osmanloanserves@gmail.com
Your Full Details:
Full Name :………
Country :………….
state:………….
Sex :………….
Address............
Tel :………….
Occupation :……..
Amount Required :…………
Purpose of the Loan :……..
Loan Duration :…………
Phone Number :………
Contact Email osmanloanserves@gmail.com
Hello Everybody,
My name is Mrs Sharon Sim. I live in Singapore and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of S$250,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 3 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of S$250,000.00 SG. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs Sharon, that refer you to him. contact Dr Purva Pius,via email:(urgentloan22@gmail.com) Thank you.
Are you in need of a loan? Do you want to pay off your bills? Do you want to be financially stable? All you have to do is to contact us for more information on how to get started and get the loan you desire. This offer is open to all that will be able to repay back in due time. Note-that repayment time frame is negotiable and at interest rate of 3% just email us (creditloan11@gmail.com)
Hello Everybody,
My name is Ahmad Asnul Brunei, I contacted Mr Osman Loan Firm for a business loan amount of $250,000, Then i was told about the step of approving my requested loan amount, after taking the risk again because i was so much desperate of setting up a business to my greatest surprise, the loan amount was credited to my bank account within 24 banking hours without any stress of getting my loan. I was surprise because i was first fall a victim of scam! If you are interested of securing any loan amount & you are located in any country, I'll advise you can contact Mr Osman Loan Firm via email osmanloanserves@gmail.com
LOAN APPLICATION INFORMATION FORM
First name......
Middle name.....
2) Gender:.........
3) Loan Amount Needed:.........
4) Loan Duration:.........
5) Country:.........
6) Home Address:.........
7) Mobile Number:.........
8) Email address..........
9) Monthly Income:.....................
10) Occupation:...........................
11)Which site did you here about us.....................
Thanks and Best Regards.
Derek Email osmanloanserves@gmail.com
Post a Comment