The Police will be charging a 38-year-old Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer on 16 October 2023, in relation to the death of then-19-year-old full time SCDF National Serviceman Edward H Go (“Edward”) on 8 December 2022 during a firefighting operation at Block 91 Henderson Road.
Following the incident, the Police investigated into the facts and circumstances leading to Edward’s death. The SCDF officer, who was Edward’s superior, had allegedly left Edward alone in the housing unit to fight the ongoing fire, against SCDF’s firefighting doctrine, without informing anyone of this fact.
The autopsy certified the cause of death to be “Suffocation due to Depleted Air Cylinder”. The investigations did not find any evidence to suggest that Edward’s death was due to equipment failure.
The Police, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, will be charging the SCDF officer in court on 16 October 2023 for an offence of causing grievous hurt by a rash act which endangers life or the personal safety of others under Section 338(a) of the Penal Code 1871.
If convicted, the offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to 4 years, or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 October 2023 @ 4:47 PM