The Public Spiritedness Award is given out to member of public who have displayed courageous or outstanding deeds that have save lives and/or prevented damaged to property in an emergency situation.

This morning, 2 members of public, Mr Fareed Maricar and Mr Soon Boon Lim, were presented with the Public Spiritedness Award at the Sengkang Fire Station. The awards were presented by MAJ Khaizal Bin Kalil, Commander of Sengkang Fire Station, 3rd Civil Defence Division.

On 22 September 2009, around 3.35pm, Mr Fareed Maricar was alerted to a fire in his neighbouring unit by another neighbour staying on another floor at Blk 205C Compassvale Lane. After investigating, he found black smoke coming from the kitchen window of the affected unit, and quickly called for SCDF"s assistance. He later gained access to the utility cabinet located outside the affected unit and shut off the main gas valve. His quick thinking and actions effectively prevented the danger of the fire escalating.

In another incident, on 26 September 2009, around 5pm, Mr Soon Boon Lim was alerted to a fire in the restaurant located on the ground floor, below where he was staying on the 3rd floor, at Blk 152 Serangoon North Avenue 1. He immediately used a garden hose to fight the fire, which had spread to the cooker hood ventilation duct. When SCDF officers arrived at the scene, the amount of smoke had greatly reduced, effectively preventing the spread of fire.

An average of about 540 fires per year occurs in homes due to unattended cooking. The breakdown of such cases is as follows:-

Table 1: No. of Unattended Cooking Fires in Residential Premises

Such fires can be prevented easily if public exercises more care when preparing meals. They should be aware that leaving cooking unattended even for a short while could result in fire outbreaks that could cause damage to properties. More importantly, the safety of the occupants could also be compromised.