Assistant Commissioner (AC) Christopher Tan Eng Kiong, currently the Director of Civil Defence Academy, will assume his new appointment as the Director of Fire Safety and Shelter Department (FSSD) on 31 July 2013. AC Tan takes over from Mr Boo Geok Kwang who will retire from the civil service on 30 July 2013.

2.Mr Boo joined civil service in 1976 and subsequently the then Singapore Fire Service in 1985, where he pioneered the establishment of the then Fire Safety Bureau. He spent most of his time in SCDF as Director of the Fire Safety Bureau and subsequently Director of the Fire Safety and Shelter Department, where he helped to oversee the regulation and enforcement of the provisions of the Fire Safety Act and the Civil Defence Shelter Act to achieve a high standard of fire safety and effective protection for the population. Mr Boo has played a key role in the development of the Singapore"s fire code and the implementation of various schemes of fire safety regulatory systems locally.

3.In the course of his work, Mr Boo has chaired the FSSD Standing Committee, Fire Code Review Committee and Fire Safety for People with Disabilities Committee. He has also been involved in several inter-agency committees such as the Building & Construction Standards Committee (SPRING) and Building & Environment Engineering Advisory Committee (Ngee Ann Polytechnic) and others.

4.Taking over from Mr Boo as Director of FSSD is AC Christopher Tan Eng Kiong. AC Christopher Tan who is currently the Director of Civil Defence Academy, will assume his new appointment as Director of FSSD on 31 July 2013. AC Tan has helmed a diverse range of command and staff appointments such as Director of Operations, Director of Training and Division Commander. Prior to his posting as Director CDA, AC Tan spent two years as the Singapore Government Senior Consultant to the State of Qatar where he helped to formulate the fire safety regulatory framework for its Civil Defence Department.