Company Emergency

Response Team
CPT Chu Yiu Tak
Audit Team Leader
Central Enforcement Department
Singapore Civil Defence Force
Email: chu_yiu_tak@scdf.gov.sg

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Company Emergency Response Team
• Introduction to CERT
• Audit Requirement
• Legislative Requirement
• Roles and Responsibilities of SMC/SIC/ERT
• Useful Resources

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Introduction to CERT

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 Introduction to CERT
• Company Emergency Response Team
• Team Structure
• CERT Standby Hours
• Responsibilities
• Training Requirement
• Medical Screening Requirement
• Equipping Requirement
• Tier Classification
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Company Emergency Response Team
• Public and Industrial premises that meet any
of the following criteria are required to have a
FSM and a CERT
• A premise may still be required to have a Fire
Certificate, maintain an Emergency Response
Plan and to form a Fire Safety Committee even
if the premise does not need a FSM or a CERT
• Residential, religious and educational
premises are not considered public premises
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 Company Emergency Response Team
(A) P&FM > 5 metric tons (B) 9 storeys or more (C) Occupant Load ≥ 1000
(For public premises)

(D) GFA 5000m2 (E) Site area 5000m2 (F) Hospital

(For industrial premises)

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Company Emergency Response Team
• Public Premise
– 9 storeys or more (including basement), or;
– Gross floor area 5000 square metres or more, or;
– Designed occupancy load 1000 persons or more, or;
– Licensed by MOH as a hospital
• Industrial Premise
– Site area or GFA 5000 square metres or more, or;
– Designed occupancy load 1000 persons or more
• Petroleum & Flammable Material Premises
– Stores more than 5 metric tonnes of P&FM
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 Team Structure

Site Main Site Incident Emergency Response

Controller Controller Team Members

Anybody can be a CERT member,

regardless of age or gender.

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 Team Structure
• 1 x Site Main Controller (SMC)
• 1 x Site Incident Controller (SIC)
• 4 x Response Team Members (ERT Members)
• These are minimum requirement, larger or
riskier premises should consider having a
larger CERT if possible.

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 Team Structure
(during emergencies)
Site Main
Controller

Site Incident Fire Safety

Controller Manager

ERT ERT ERT ERT Fire

Member Member Member Member Wardens

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 Responsibilities
• SMC
– Key decision maker
– Point of contact with government agencies
– Authorise operation shutdown & evacuation
• SIC
– Response Team leader
– Link between SMC & RT (and FSM)
• ERT Members
– Provide emergency response
– Conduct evacuation
– Implement In-Place Protection
– Provide first aid

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 Responsibilities
Room filled with smoke

Intense fire

These are not incipient stages of an incident.

CERT is not expected to handle incidents at this level.
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 Recent Examples: Auditorium
Not responding to incipient incidents
causes unnecessary threats to lives
and results in property damage
and business disruption.

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Recent Examples: Hotel

Is this considered an incipient fire?

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 Recent Examples: Hotel
Open air environment with enough safety
distance for CERT mitigation actions

Responding to incipient incidents

reduces property damage and
minimises business disruption

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Recent Examples: Office Building

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Recent Examples: Office Building
Fire from a small object can cause a lot of damage.

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Recent Examples: Warehouse
Fire safety provisions are only useful
if you know how to use them.

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 CERT Standby Hours
• When is CERT required at the premise?
– During operating hours
• SMC
– Usual working hours of the individual (e.g. office hours)
– Recalled and to arrive at premise within 1 hour of incident
• SIC & ERT Members
– Must be available during all operating hours of premise
– E.g. office hours for office buildings, 9am-11pm for
shopping malls, 24 hours for 24 hours production plants
– Can be rotated if on shift work as long as response team
manpower requirement is met

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 Training Requirement
• SMC
– WSQ Implement Incident Management Processes
• SIC
– WSQ Implement Incident Management Processes
– WSQ Respond to Fire (Same as ERT members)
• ERT Members
– WSQ Respond to Fire & HazMat Emergency (3 days)
– WSQ Respond to Fire Emergency in Buildings (2 days)
– WSQ Respond to Fire Incident in Workplaces (1 day)

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Medical screening

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 Medical Screening Requirement
• Anyone can sign up for the courses as long as the
person is generally fit for light physical activities
• Fitness checklist based on Sports Council PAR-Q
• No medical screening required for
– WSQ Implement Incident Management Processes
– WSQ Respond to Fire Incident in Workplaces (1 day)
• If individual clears self assessment fitness checklist, no
medical screening required for
– WSQ Respond to Fire Emergency in Buildings (2 days)
– WSQ Respond to Fire & HazMat Emergency (3 days)
• Doctor certificate of fitness based on revised guidelines
• Download checklist and guidelines from SCDF website

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 Medical Screening
• Instructions available at www.scdf.gov.sg
• New 2 step process
Step 1: Not all OK Step 2:
Fitness Checklist & Medical screening
Self Declaration Form

OK Not certified fit

Sign up for CERT Cannot sign up for

course with ATOs CERT course with ATOs

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Equipping Requirement

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 Equipping Requirement
• Personal Protective Equipment
– Fire retardant gloves, safety boots, helmets
– Refer to CERT table for details
• Mitigation
– Relevant mitigation equipment (refer to table)
• First Aid
– First aid kit, stretcher, blanket & AED
• Communication
– Loud hailer & Walkie-talkie
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 Tier Classification
• Tier 1
– P&FM Premises (more than 5 metric tons of P&FM)
– High Risk Installations classified by SCDF
• Tier 2
– Premises storing 5 or less metric tons of P&FM
– Premises storing petrol in underground tanks
– Premises storing only diesel in aboveground tanks
• Tier 3
– Premises storing only diesel in underground tanks
– Premises storing only LPG used by F&B outlets
– All other FSM premises

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Audit Requirement

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 Audit Requirement
• Help premises improve their CERT
• Checks both documentation and practical
components
• Premises audited at most once a year
• Audit for Public & Industrial Premises starts
WY15/16
• Transparent assessment
– Audit Checklist available on SCDF website
– Assessment criteria will be based on checklist
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 Audit Requirement
• Penalties for failure
– Re-audit
– Notice for Fire Safety Offences (NFSO)
– Revoke of P&FM storage license
– Offence liable for fine and/or imprisonment if
CERT is not formed

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 Audit Timeline
APRIL 2015 MAY 2015
Notification 1 2 3 4 1 2
Audit Discussion
Letter
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 & Drill
4 Planning
5 6 7 8 9
+ Documentation
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 11Audit 12 13 14 15 16
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 Table
21 Top22 23
26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 27Exercise
28 &29 30
Fire Warden
31 Briefing
JUNE 2015
1 CERT
2 Audit
3 +4 5 6 1 June 2015
Evacuation Drill
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 8.30am – Drill set up
9.30am – CERT audit + evacuation drill
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 + joint exercise with SCDF
11am – End of drill
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
11.15am – Debrief
28 29 30 Audit Report 11.30am – Pack up & end of audit

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Documentation
(40%)

Practical Skills
(60%)

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 Grading Table
Score Category
Category Assessed
(%) Score (%)
Emergency Response Plan 14
Emergency Staff Aids 2
Documentation 40
Training Records & Certification 12
Equipment Readiness & Maintenance Records 12
Activation & Response 10.8
Incident Size Up 3.6
Mitigation Ops 24
Practical Skills 60
Linking up with SCDF 4.8
Evacuation 12
Support Activates 4.8
*NOTE: A pass in the CERT audit does not imply
Total 100 100
that all relevant regulations have been fully met.

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 Documentation
• Be conscientious
• Get documents ready before 1st meeting
• Documentation audit can be conducted
before practical skills audit
MAY 2015
1 2
3Audit4 Discussion
5 6 7 8 9
& Drill Planning
10 11 + 12 13 14 15 16
17Documentation
18 19 20 21 22 23
Audit
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31

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 Documentation IN CASE OF FIRE
CALL 995 &
• Floor plan: Accurate WAIT FOR HELP
• Concept of operations: Make sense
• Key personnel contact number: Updated
• Table top exercise, emergency & evacuation
drill records: Reports attached as annexes
• Emergency staff aids: Available
• Emergency Response Plan: FEP, IPP, APP

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 Documentation
• Training records: Photocopy of all certificates
• Refresher training records: Trainer, topic,
venue, date, time, attendance

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 Documentation
• Equipment: Appropriate, sufficient & working
– PPE, Mitigation, First aid, Communication

• Maintenance records: Available

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 Practical Skills
• Assess individual competency & incident
management as a team
• Regular refresher training
• Make use of TTX MAY 2015
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 Table
21 Top
22 23
24 25 26 27Exercise
28 29 & 30
Fire Warden
31 Briefing

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 Practical Skills
• Desired Outcomes for CERT
– Quick dispatch and arrival
– Initiation of emergency response system, assessment
of incident scene, update of situation and request for
appropriate resources
– Notify relevant government authorities and
neighbouring premises
– Containment and management of threats in
accordance with emergency response plans and safety
procedures

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Audit Checklist Scoring Examples

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 Past Results,
New Passing Score
& New Grading Bands

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 Grading Table
Score Category
Category Assessed
(%) Score (%)
Emergency Response Plan 14
Emergency Staff Aids 2
Documentation 40
Training Records & Certification 12
Equipment Readiness & Maintenance Records 12
Activation & Response 10.8
Incident Size Up 3.6
Mitigation Ops 24
Practical Skills 60
Linking up with SCDF 4.8
Evacuation 12
Support Activates 4.8
*NOTE: A pass in the CERT audit does not imply
Total 100 100
that all relevant regulations have been fully met.

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 Grading Bands
• 90 – 100 Pass with Commendation
– Eligible for Outstanding CERT Award nomination
– Possibility for extended audit interval
• 75 – 89 Pass
– A generally well organised ERP in place, has a
competent CERT with room for improvement
• 50 – 74 Conditional Pass
– Subsequent year, 2nd conditional pass = Fail
• 0 – 49 Fail
– Re-audit, 2nd failure = Notice of Fire Safety Offence

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 <75 P&FM CERT Audit Score (FY1415) ≥90
100

90

80

70

60

50

40 15.4% 58.4% 26.2%

30

20

10

0
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 Useful Resources
• http://www.scdf.gov.sg
– Regulations
– List of licensed P&FM
– List of Accredited Training Organisations
– Training and equipping requirement
– CERT audit checklist
– Briefing slides
– Frequently Asked Questions (and answers)

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For more information

www.scdf.gov.sg
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Latest version is available
on the SCDF website
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 Latest version is
available on the
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SCDF website 74
 Commonly asked questions
1. What are PIBs?
2. Training validity
3. Refresher training
4. FSM & CERT
5. CERT Hours
6. Can we share CERT?
7. Who can be part of CERT?

FSM Briefing 2014 75

1. What are PIBs with FSMs?

FSM Briefing 2014 76

 1. What are PIBs with FSMs?
• Public & Industrial Buildings with FSMs
– Public buildings
• 9 storeys or more (including any basement);
• used, constructed or adapted to be used as a hospital;
• has a floor area of 5,000 square metres or more; or
• has an occupant load of 1,000 persons or more
– Premises used for industrial purposes
• has a floor or site area of 5,000 square metres or more; or
• has an occupant load of 1,000 persons or more

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1. What are PIBs?

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1a. What are Public Buildings?

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1b. What is Industrial purposes?

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 2. Will my certification expire?
• Is there a validity duration for the training
certification?
– Certification is valid as long as refresher trainings
are conducted regularly for the CERT members.
– No retraining required as long as there is regular
refresher training.
– Initial training must be from recognised sources,
e.g. Accredited Training Organisations

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 3a. Refresher training
• How often do I need to attend refresher
training?
– Refresher training must be conducted annually.
– SCDF recommends one refresher training every
quarter. Components of refresher training can be
conducted in phases.
– E.g. evacuation procedure in March, first aid in
June, use of extinguishers and hosereels in
September, in-place protection in December.

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 3b. Refresher training
• Who conducts the refresher training?
– Internally by FSM, senior CERT members
– Externally by training organisations
– Recertification not compulsory as long as
refresher trainings are conducted regularly

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 4. FSM & CERT
• Can my FSM be the SMC/SIC/ERT member?
– The FSM may double up as the SMC, but SCDF
strongly discourages this arrangement.
– The FSM may not be the SIC or an ERT member.

FSM Briefing 2014 84

 5. CERT hours
• CERT is required throughout the operational
hours of the premises.
• For premises with extended operating hours,
e.g. hotels and investment firms, SMC may
follow the usual working hours and be recalled
to site within one hour if there are incidents
after office hours.
• SIC and ERT members must be available
throughout the operating hours.

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 6. Can we share CERT?
• In general, no.
• Exception:
One FSM and CERT is allowed for buildings
that have one Fire Certificate and have the
same postal code. The FSM and the CERT must
still be able to meet the CERT performance
requirement stated in the audit checklist.

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 7. Who can be part of CERT?
• Anyone, as long as they are trained and
briefed on their roles in CERT.
• Employees of the building owner, managing
agent, tenants.
• Security guards, maintenance contractors,
cleaners, dedicated CERT members.
• Offsite members are acceptable as long as
performance requirement can be met, i.e.
1 minute activation and 5 minute response.

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 END

Central Enforcement Department

Singapore Civil Defence Force
Updated 15/10/2015

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