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Commissioner’s Message

Leaders involved in disaster management would know that risk profiles are constantly evolving and increasingly complex, and hazards can trigger each other with cascading and compounding impacts within and across sectors and geographies. As the Asia-Pacific region is also the world’s most disaster-impacted and populous area, coupled with the disproportionate scale of displacement and suffering that an impacted community might face, the importance of risk awareness, civil protection and disaster preparedness cannot be overstated.

Against this backdrop, SIDEX 2025 could not have been timelier. SIDEX 2025 endeavors to bring together experts from the academia, emergency services, researchers as well as industry specialists to exchange views and best practices, and share knowledge that can help elevate our level of disaster preparedness, capability, and safety for emergency responders.

On the latter point, SCDF is constantly leveraging science and technology (S&T) to enhance its operational readiness and safety. For instance, the Emergency Responders’ Fitness Conditioning & Enhancement Lab (EẋCEL) of the Civil Defence Academy leverages human performance analytics through S&T to optimise SCDF responders’ potential and peak operational performance using an evidence-based approach. Through progressive scientific research, testing and assessment, EẋCEL serves to monitor, assess, and condition different aspects of performance such as physical, cognitive, mental, etc. which raises operational safety.

The application of S&T as a force-multiplier is equally pervasive on the frontlines. A two-tier robotics capability comprising small to heavy robots now support our firefighters to perform high-risk penetration and heavy lifting activities. On the EMS front, our Operational Medical Networks Informatics Integrator or OMNII system is a digital platform that allows paramedics to receive essential information of a patient, like drug allergy, from the National Electronic Health Records and share a patient’s vital signs in real-time enroute to the hospital, thereby improving the patient’s chances of survival.

SCDF will share many of these innovations at the SIDEX 2025 exhibition, and hope to engage participants to explore new breakthroughs in emergency response and disaster management so that as a global community, we can be “Ready Today, Resilient Tomorrow”, as the conference is themed.

I look forward to welcoming everyone to SIDEX 2025 in Singapore.

Eric Yap
Commissioner
Singapore Civil Defence Force