SCDF launches mobile pods to improve emergency response times

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) crews will soon be able to take breaks between calls in a custom-built mobile pod, instead of having to return to their bases.

Known as a Dynamic Deployment Pod (DDP), the space functions as a temporary base for EMS crews, who are usually deployed from fire stations, fire posts and Dynamic Deployment Bases (DDBs).

DDBs are locations such as police stations and community centres where ambulances are deployed.

The pods are part of the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) plans to meet the increasing demand for emergency medical services.

They were inspired by gym pods and isolated office spaces that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, and took about six to 12 months to build, said SCDF.

SCDF said it collaborated with vendors to come up with the design of the pods, which were built in Malaysia.

The first DDP was unveiled by SCDF during an event on Feb 25 at Jurong Lake Gardens, where it will remain for three months as part of a six-month trial.

The pod will be relocated to Toa Payoh Public Library for the second half of the trial.

During the event, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Amelia Justina Lim, senior assistant director of EMS' plans and policy department, told the media: "The aim of this trial is to improve our geographical coverage of the ambulance department, so we can reach emergencies quicker."

In its annual statistics report released on Feb 13, SCDF said it responded to 245,279 emergency calls in 2024, equivalent to about 672 calls daily.

On Feb 18, it announced that it would be hiring foreigners as paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to beef up its EMS workforce.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, SCDF said there are now 23 fire stations, 30 fire posts and eight DDBs in Singapore.

The SCDF has an operational fleet of 95 ambulances.

As the current deployment points are permanent infrastructure, they are limited by locality, said SCDF.

The DDPs, on the other hand, can be moved, using a lorry crane, from one location to another within three days to meet surges in demand for EMS services.

Measuring 4.5m long, 2.2m wide and 2.45m high, each DDP comes equipped with air-conditioning, working desks and multiple power points for an EMS crew to complete its administrative work and charge its equipment. There are also plans to equip the DDP with Wi-Fi in the near future.

For security, four CCTVs are installed outside the DDP.

Designed to function similarly to fire stations and posts, each pod can house an EMS crew, which usually consists of three people - a paramedic and two EMTs.

From Feb 28, an ambulance will be stationed at the DDP at Jurong Lake Gardens, and will operate from 9.30am to 7.30pm.

EMS crews from Jurong Fire Station will be stationed at the DDP and will return to their base at the end of their shift.

Captain Yao Hongbin, who heads the EMS team at Jurong Fire Station, said: "We're happy to be the first ones to try out the DDP so we can provide feedback to improve on future versions."

LTC Lim said Jurong Lake Gardens was chosen as the first location for the trial based on data from SCDF's Dynamic Resource Optimisation programme, which recommends optimal locations to deploy ambulances.

A spokesperson for SCDF said: "Another key consideration is locating the pods in areas where SCDF has not established permanent premises such as a fire station or post."

The Jurong Lake Gardens DDP is sited strategically between four ambulance deployment points in Jurong: Jurong West Fire Post, Jurong Fire Station, Jurong East Fire Post and Taman Jurong Fire Post.

By dispersing its resources across a wider area, SCDF aims to improve its emergency response times. On average, its EMS is able to respond to 80 per cent of calls within 11 minutes.

An emergency deployment simulation before the trial at Jurong Lake Gardens showed that DDPs brought about a 1 percentage point to 2 percentage point improvement in response time.

If the trial goes well, SCDF plans to add eight to 10 more DDPs in the future to complement the existing ambulance deployment points, LTC Lim said.