Central Fire Station Visit was an Eye-Opener!

Check me out in this fire fighter coat in the picture below!

Imagine... "Hot female fire fighter fighting a hot fire"~
(It sounds like the tongue twister that I am superb in: 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper'! LOL!)

After typing that sentence, I am repeating it over and over again, and laughing to myself. See how I am so easily amused by MYSELF. (o_0)" SAY IT... QUICK!!! >> "Hot female fire fighter fighting a hot fire". (On second thoughts, maybe I'm not that hot-looking to some... But I'm hot like that cos I just created a hot tongue twister!!)

==Anyway back to topic. *ahem*==

The coat that I donned (as pictured above), albeit kinda dirty, belongs to a Lieutenant who had probably saved hundreds and (maybe) thousands of lives throughout his career in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

And this Lieutenant is none other than, LT FOO.
Hes very friendly and easy-going and has a way with kids.

Along with the other invited bloggers, LT Foo guided us around the Central Fire Station on a clear Saturday morning. The visit was certainly an eye-opener, and it was like a discovery tour for me. Do you know that the Central Fire Station is one of Singapore's National Monuments? (I wasn't aware of that myself, so it is ok if you do not know.) It was gazetted as one on 18 December 1998.

By the way, when you see the red fire engine on the roads, please give way to them, and not be an idiot and hog the lane. For example, few days ago, I saw an ambulance with its siren on, and this idiotic driver cut into the ambulance's lane at such a close distance. If my car was not that far away that I couldn't see the car plate number, I would publish the car number here.

***I wanted to blog about the picture below. But when I saw the picture of the fire engine (middle picture as seen in the collage below) I couldn't resist but type the previous paragraph first.

It was only during this visit that I finally got to see the interior of a fire engine upclose! This is BECAUSE, normally, I am one of those KPO people standing near the fire scene to watch the gutsy fire fighters doing their job. Either that, I only get to see fire engines while I am on the road and usually they are rushing to somewhere to save lives.

Whenever I come across an ambulance vehicle that is stuck in a heavy jam, I will be thinking,"Die lah... Can the patient be saved in time?". :X
Have you ever wondered about this too???

And this is where the Fast Response Paramedic (FRP) Bike comes in. Like all other commercial bikes which can move ahead despite the congested roads due to traffic jams or peak hour, the FRP bike was introduced for this type of situation. In this way, the paramedics (whom are the ones riding the bike) can reach to the patients quicker than the ambulance which is stuck in that dreadful traffic. It certainly makes a HUGE difference between life and death~

The Central Fire Station is only in-charge of the CBD and Chinatown area..
For the high-rise buildings, basements, shopping malls and fire-prone pre-war houses.

Hong Wei

Cute Diana~

LT Foo showed us the various equipments and tools found in the fire engine, and their purposes.


And I learn that each fire engine carries its own supply of water and foam.

However, if more water is needed, they need to get it from the nearby water hydrant. Imagine if there is a fire at a HDB block and the water supply from the fire engine is going to be used up. A fireman or two had to run to the nearest water hydrant and hook up their water hose to it. So that's why, their Physical Training activities involve games such as running while carrying/unrolling the water hose.

He also showed us water hoses of different thickness, designed to operate at different water pressures. Largest is 64mm diameter in size.

Hong Wei carried the water hose to test the weight of it.
He says it was ok but I doubt I am able to lift it up like how he did. :X
I should have tried...... the lightest one! HEH! :p

Any trace of evidences that the fire fighters find at the fire accident scene will be placed in this can, and to be brought back for examination.
Such as: cigarette butt, lighters, matchsticks, etc.

I showed my friend the photo above and told her that the firemen put coins which they find at the fire scene in the can.
And she totally believed me. LOL! But of course, I told her the real purpose for it after that.

Hong Wei looking so gleeful with the powerful water gun.
(Forgot the actual name of it already. Oops!).

Hot female fire fighter fighting a hot fire!
(Are you able to master my tongue twister already? :p )

This little device sprinkles out water from those holes while spinning.
This spreads the water to a larger surface area.

LT Foo showed us the rescue equipments...

Watch the video!
I thought it sounds like the sound made by motorbike engines. But this saves lives!

Watch the video!
Hear an explanation of another rescue equipment used by SCDF.

These are the oxygen tanks that the fire fighters use to breathe in that thick smoke!
Each fighter carries one tank on their back with him into the fire scene.

The Red Rhino vehicle
A light fire attach vehicle, a substitute for the big and bulky fire engines.

Spot Me! :)

Sliding down the pole... American style.



Sliding down the pole... Singapore style!




A moment of being a fireman... Featuring Sidney and Daniel
Except that they were simply watering the trees, grass, soil & concrete wall! HAHA!

I gave a try to the water hose. Apparently, there is something for you to turn so that the water shoots out in a different way.
Watch the video:

The Infinity Spiral Red Stairs...
(Ok, I'm just joking about the 'infinity' part.)

It was then a short walk to the two-storey Civil Defence Heritage Gallery. It is like a mini fire-fighting museum that showcases old trucks and equipments from the late 1800s till modern day. Along with Hong Wei, Daniel and Sidney, we embarked on this short journey in the gallery to experience this integral part of Singapore's history.

This open-concept fire engine is called the Major Pump 3.

Only the driver and officer in-charge of the fire-fighting crew would sit in the front and the rest of the firemen would have to stand on the two platforms attached to the two sides of the fire-engine. You know, like in those old movies? The firemen standing on the two sides would have to hold on tightly to the ladder to avoid falling down as the roads were very bumpy at the time. If a fireman fell down, he would have to catch up with the engine and climb back on. Firemen would also have to hold on to the equipment placed on the fire-engine to ensure the equipment doesn’t drop off.

The first fully motorized fire-engine in Singapore: Merryweather Steam Fire Engine. Named after the Governor of Singapore at that time, Mr. Broadrick.

This fire engine contains a boiler which stores hot water to produce steam, enabling the vehicles to respond to fires immediately.

A Hand Crank Siren

If I am not wrong, this is the water pump.

The Canine (K-9) cam contains the infra-red technology.
It enhances the image captured and displays a broader scope of the area captured.

Spot my hand!
I was trying out the High Performance Suit (HPS) and there were water droplets dropping down in that container/chamber!!!

These are the various types of gloves worn by rescuers for different purposes.

'In Safe Hands'...

Hardworking Boys @ Work...
Sitting on tiny stools and doing some shading, to be exact. :p

This was my shading base.

Our "Art Pieces"

After we were done exploring the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery, we decided to head off for lunch. But not before taking more pictures! :)

While we were standing at the station entrance, the gate was closing...
It was 11am and the weekend visit time was over.

Leaving the place with knowledge gained was certainly a pleasant feeling.
But I was quite disappointed as I did not manage to go on a "lifting ride" on the Combined Platform Ladder (CPL), that could have taken me 30 metres high!

(Due to the CPL undergoing servicing on that day!) :(

But for you, you may have the chance to get on the CPL!
Simply make a visit to the Central Fire Station! (^_^)

Before I go, here's a video that I took 3 years ago, witnessing a rescue work LIVE. (Pardon the poor video quality, taken using a mobile phone. And ignore the talking, pls.)

The father actually rushed up to save his kid, totally epic!
But it is very dangerous, I hope nobody will ever do that again,
and just leave the rescue work to the firemen who are already present mann!

And So It Is...

More pics... taken by Benjamin...

I seriously wonder what the Captain was talking to us that led to Daniel's mouth opening so big in awe... LOL! (See picture below) And why did we look so serious? LOL!

Note: This is a blog post that was completed months ago when I was still blogging at my old url address, but I decided to post it up on this site hence the delay. But don't worry, the weekend visit programme is still on, hence do go and visit it one day! And just to let you know, you need not head down to the Central fire station just for the visit. You can visit any fire stations in Singapore (except Jurong Island fire station), on Saturdays, from 9am to 11am. :)