The Tanjong Pagar Town Council has summoned the contractor in question for erecting a funeral wake tent that blocked a service road and caused a delay in the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) reaction to a fire at Henderson Road.
The arrival of SCDF firefighters to the fire on December 8, 2022 was delayed by 18 minutes due to the obstruction of the fire engine accessway.
Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, a minister of state in the ministry of home affairs, stated in front of lawmakers on January 9: "To make a way for entry, the cops moved the bollards that were padlocked to the ground next to the tentage. This delayed 18 minutes to their arrival time."
The same day after that, Edward H. Go, a 19-year-old full-time NSF, passed away.
On Tuesday, the town council acknowledged that the tent had been set up at a fire access point.
They further said "According to the town council bylaws, the (Tanjong Pagar) Town Council took enforcement action against the tentage contractor and issued a summons to the business for impeding the service route.
Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao said that the contractor, Tai Tiong (Red/White) Metal Tents Centre, claimed that the tent, which was around 9.8m long and 5.5m wide, was constructed in accordance with requirements.
Added the contractor "For chanting and practice, tents are erected. We have always erected tents in accordance with the specifications."
The town council stated that its officials "perform frequent inspections on the ground" and that its bylaws for common property and open spaces "establish the restrictions for use of common property."
They continued, "In this instance, the tentage was erected on December 7 evening and the fire incident took place on December 8 am.
According to a representative from the Association of Funeral Directors Singapore, HDB public areas are utilized for a variety of activities, including weddings, wakes for the deceased, and community gatherings.
According to him, the custom of hosting wakes at the void deck dates back to the kampung era, when friends and family all resided in the same hamlet.
"The applicant to use a precinct's common areas does have the duty to see that the event is conducted with the fewest possible annoyances and complies with the town council's terms and conditions, "the spokesperson declared
Funeral directors are aware that funerals are held in public locations and they remind the grieving family of the dos and don'ts regarding the utilization of public spaces.
Sgt. 1 Go passed away in the hospital after losing consciousness while putting out the fire. He was the first firefighter to die while participating in a SCDF operation.
Editor thoughts
Should the funeral contractor be held accountable to what happen to Sergeant 1 Go? Netizens on the internet have called for these funeral wakes to be smaller as they are getting bigger and bigger while being an eyesore to people.
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