SCDF officer, 39, to plead guilty to leaving NSF Edward Go alone in fatal Henderson Rd fire

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer is set to plead guilty on Jan. 15, 2025, to causing grievous hurt to a 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF), according to an update on the Singapore Courts website.

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

39-year-old Muhammad Kamil Mohamed Yasin, who was Go's superior, was accused of leaving Go alone to fight the fire at the unit without informing others, which was against SCDF protocol.

Kamil was charged in court on Oct. 16, 2023, with causing grievous hurt by a rash act which endangers life or the personal safety of others.

If convicted, he can be jailed for up to four years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

Go was the first firefighter to have died during an operation, according to an SCDF post.

A ceremonial funeral was also held by SCDF to honour the firefighter.

Officer allegedly left Go alone

The fire broke out in a unit on the fourth floor of an HDB block at Henderson Road in Bukit Merah.

Go, who was one of the firefighters involved in the operation, was found unconscious in the unit's kitchen.

He was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital, where he passed away later that day.

His cause of death was "suffocation due to depleted air cylinder", according to the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) statement on Oct. 14, 2023.

After the incident, the police investigated the facts and circumstances leading to Go's death.

SPF stated that their investigations did not find any evidence to suggest that Edward’s death was due to equipment failure.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News/Facebook and obits.sg