SCDF officer accused of leaving NSF firefighter alone in fatal Henderson Road blaze to plead guilty

SINGAPORE: A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer is set to plead guilty to causing grievous hurt to a 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) by leaving him alone to fight a fire in a flat.

Muhammad Kamil Mohamed Yasin, 39, will plead guilty on Jan 15, 2025 according to court records updated on Monday (Nov 18).

The NSF, Sergeant 1 (SGT1) Edward H Go, fell unconscious while fighting a fire at Block 91 Henderson Road on Dec 8, 2022, and later died in hospital.

He suffocated to death after his air cylinder was depleted.

SGT1 Go was the first firefighter to die in an SCDF operation. He was given a ceremonial funeral and posthumously promoted to sergeant.

Kamil is accused of committing a rash act that endangered human life by exiting the flat where the fire was and leaving SGT1 Go alone there without informing anyone else.

The police previously said that this was against SCDF protocols.

He faces a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$7,500), or both.

Kamil was charged on Oct 16, 2023 and is currently out on bail of S$15,000. He is represented by veteran lawyer Ramesh Tiwary.

SCDF previously said that Kamil held the rank of Warrant Officer (2) and was suspended on half-pay from Oct 19, 2023.

He was removed from frontline duties and placed in an administrative support role from Aug 23, 2023.

After SGT1 Go’s death, an internal review group convened by SCDF recommended that the force take steps to comprehensively review the selection and training of its ground commanders.

This included enhancing the emphasis on command responsibility and conducting exercises to test their command and control capabilities.

SCDF also introduced additional measures to enhance safety on the ground, such as the inclusion of an officer who helps to monitor the deployment of firefighters and check their personal protective equipment before they enter the scene of a fire.

While this was already being done for larger and more complex fires, SCDF started having such an officer for smaller fires, such as home fires, in September 2023.