Technical report: Introduction Draft 1

 Implementation of centralized home fire 

defense system in residential housing.

 1.0 Introduction

This report provides innovative solutions in response to the call for implementations and provides the improvements that could be made to the current HFAD system in Singapore's residential housing. 

1.1 Background

Singapore, a tiny country that is home to approximately about 5-6 million people, is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world. With that, public housing has become one of the special icons of Singapore. With more than 1 million flats across 24 towns and 3 estates, the Singapore brand of public housing is uniquely different compared to other countries (Housing Development Board (HDB), 2020). However, in recent years, fire outbreaks in these public homes are common and on the rise. As these public housing spells home to about 80% of Singapore’s resident population, it will be a major concern towards their safety within the flats (HDB, 2020).

For the past 2 years, there was an increase of 5.9% where fires broke out due to unattended cooking. These numbers would indeed in the long run affect the lives and wellbeing of the future and current families in Singapore. The people will be especially concerned with how their safety will fare in the near future. Over the past decade, about 70 percent of fire injuries have resulted from residential fires, compared to approximately 40 percent ten years ago (SCDF, 2017). Tighter safety measures need to be enforced to overcome such challenges. Thus, it is encouraged for Home Fire Alarm Device (HFAD) to be installed at units for better safety precaution in case a fire breaks out. It was a first step for Singapore to emphasize the importance of fire safety in public housing, catering to the safety and wellbeing of people.

1.2  Current Implementation

Currently, HFAD has been implemented by the Singapore Civil Defence Force in new residential buildings in every household unit. Its main purpose is to detect whenever there is fire and will alert everyone in the unit with its built-in alarm. This is a useful device as it gives ample time for occupants to evacuate the building by giving an early warning. Although it is to detect fire, the device actually detects smoke as it is much more effective in providing early warning of fire compared to a heat detector. Furthermore, HFADs have an operational lifespan of a decade, and it is wireless device that is convenient for users. However, HFAD is not mandatory in existing residential premises, but existing homeowners are strongly encouraged to install HFADs in an effort to protect themselves (SCDF, 2019). Ideally, each household owner needs at least 1 HFAD installed in their home. It is also up to the owners of the house on how many HFADs to install since there are no limits to it, however, it can be costly to purchase and install one. The location to install a HFAD is the most crucial part, there will be a chance where it will emit a false alarm due to its proximity range. For Example, HFAD should not be placed anywhere near a cooking area or a place burning of religious paraphernalia. Instead, it is advisable to place it along a corridor or ideally, the living room. 

1.3  Problem statement

Ideally, every building in Singapore should require a centralized HFAD system to be installed to allow not only every occupant in the building to be alerted in case of fire but also any other persons on the premises. However, currently, some building occupants within the building may not be aware if a fire breaks out in one of the units due to activities such as listening to music. Installing a centralized HFAD system that links all HFAD in every unit within the building will give every person in the building ample time to evacuate the building. 

1.4  Purpose statement

The purpose of this report is to propose to the Housing Development Board (HDB), who is responsible for public housing, to improve on the safety measures in these public housing. Our group is looking into linking every HFAD in every unit to a centralized system to create a better and efficient response to safety in these flats. In addition, we will be adding water sprinklers in part of homes to improve our defense mechanism.  This report may also have relevance to private building owners who might be interested in improving safety measures in their private housing.















REFERENCES 


Housing & Development Board. (2020, July 24). Public Housing - A Singapore Icon.  http://www.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/our-role/public-housing-a-singapore-icon


Singapore Civil Defence Force. (2020). Report on: Fire, Emergency Medical Services And Fire Safety Enforcement Statistics 2020.  https://www.scdf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/scdf-library/amb-fire-inspection-statistics/scdf_annual_statistics_2020.pdf


Singapore Civil Defence Force. (2017). Report on: Enhancing Fire Safety In Homes Through The Mandatory Installation of Home Fire Alarm Device. https://www.scdf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/scdf-library/hfad/hfad-press-release-(16-nov-2017).pdf


Singapore Civil Defence Force. (2019). Report on: Home Fire Alarm Devices.    https://www.scdf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/scdf-library/fssd-downloads/hfad-faqs_26july2019---general-hfad-faq.pdf

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