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Features

c
hances are that you might know someone who
describes his job with one of these three words—
routine, monotonous, lifeless.
Second Warrant Officer Eric Lee Kar Kiat describes his job
as “colourful”.

From monochrome to full colour

Fires, trapped people, toxic
spills, collapsed buildings…
The lanky 28-year-old joined the SCDF in April 03 as
a Fire and Rescue Specialist (FRS) after graduating from
polytechnic. Since then, he has attained his current rank,
become a Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Specialist, and
graduated with a Bachelor in Applied Science from RMIT
University in Australia.

When things go wrong, you
can rely on the specialists of
the Singapore Civil Defence
When asked why he joined SCDF, Eric said, “For the first
20 years of my life, I had been monotonous—school, home,
eat, sleep, rest, shop, movies, etc. Just like other teenagers.
I realised, without excitement or responsibility, I would be like
a robot in a routine lifestyle. That’s why I signed up with the

The Specialist
Force (SCDF) to save the day. SCDF.”
Eric certainly got the excitement that he wished for.
He and his team respond to an average of four incidents

By Edwin Tam

Eric Lee Kar Kiat

Second Warrant
Officer, Singapore
Civil Defence
Force
 38 72
Features

per month. Incidents involve situations such as oil and corrosive

L ast words
chemical spillages, fires, search-and-rescue operations, amongst
The dangerous nature of the job notwithstanding, SCDF
others. According to Eric, “Turnout for incidents are good days for
personnel have irregular working hours. Eric works for 24 hours
me. I can see things which most people do not see in their daily
before resting 48 hours. However, those 48-hour “off days” are
lives.”
usually filled with events. “For example, I have an interview with
For example, he was part of a search-and rescue operation to
you this morning. I am also a Liaison Officer to three Taiwanese
evacuate two men from a ship. “The ship door had locked while
officials in the afternoon. And the night ends off with a formal
they were packing things inside. It was air-tight. There would be
dinner in the evening.”
no oxygen soon! We put on our breathing apparatus, combed
However, the perceived downsides of the job are overcome by
the decks and opened all the doors,” he recalled. “We rescued
an attractive remuneration package, where allowances are also
both of them. One survived but the other–because of oxygen
afforded to specialists with certified skills.
deficiency–was pronounced brain-dead at the hospital.”
Having been with the SCDF for five years, Eric knows what it
takes to be a successful specialist. “I have a saying, ‘All that I can,
F rom fireman to specialist I will.’ And when you do something, do it right. Most people are
Like all new SCDF personnel, Eric underwent a six-month
result-oriented. As long as the job is done to their liking, they will
course where he was taught fire-fighting skills, rescue techniques,
trust and be confident in you. That is how I approach everything.”
first aid, and command and leadership, after which he became a
junior section commander at Tuas Fire Station.
In recounting his progression to specialist, he said, “I took
a while to get my HazMat badge, for two reasons. One, I had
to serve for at least one year. Two, personally I didn’t think I
was ready. I wanted my superior’s opinion as to whether I was
suitable. After three years, they decided that I should go for
the HazMat Specialist Course.”
There are four specialist tracks for SCDF junior officers:
Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team for complex rescue
and fire-fighting situations; Fire Investigation to investigate
the causes of major fires; Fire Safety to enforce the Fire
Safety Act; and Hazardous Materials to detect and contain
hazardous chemicals and biological agents.
“I’d rather specialise in things that I’m unfamiliar with,”
said Eric, on why he chose to be a HazMat Specialist. “The
course was quite unique. We were trained like chemists!
We learnt about chemical reactions, how to contain toxic
industrial chemicals and biological agents, etc. It was tough
but fun.”

F rom mere drills to real skills

SCDF personnel are trained by mock turnouts to quickly
take appropriate actions for situations. Of course, the
situation changes during real incidents. “We learn to be
flexible via our turnouts. Every incident is different. Thus
going by the book, from ‘A’ to ‘Z’, might not work all the
time,” said Eric. “Often we must also make decisions within
split seconds. Turnouts do train us to make good decisions
quickly.”
As a junior officer, Eric also manages subordinates.
He concedes that people management is no mean feat
as everyone comes from different racial and cultural
backgrounds. However, he values this challenge as it
enables him to hone his interpersonal skills. “I gain valuable
experience in managing humans, one of the hardest
resources to manage,” he quipped.