EXTERNAL SAFETY REVIEW PANEL ON FIRST WORKING VISIT TO SAF

Members of the External Review Panel for SAF Safety (ERPSS) visited the Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) on 2 Dec, and viewed a live grenade-throwing exercise up close.

Comprising experts from the government, industry and professional sectors, the ERPSS was there to get a first-hand view of how safety is managed on the ground.

The external panel, which was set up three months ago under the Safety and Systems Review Directorate (SSRD), will serve a three-year tenure, reviewing various aspects of safety in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), and will make its tour of Army, Navy and Air Force units to assess safety practices and recommend improvements.

On the establishment of the ERPSS, Director SSRD Brigadier-General (Ret) Wong Huat Sern explained that its purpose was to strengthen the existing safety systems in the Army, Air Force and Navy. He said: "We want people from outside, experts who know about safety, to come in and take a critical view of what we are doing, suggest improvements and, if possible, give us validation that we are doing the right thing."

Headed by Mr Alan Chan, CEO Singapore Press Holdings Ltd and Chairman ERPSS, the panel's visit to BMTC began with a viewing of the "Journey Room" - an exhibition about the history, establishment and development of National Service. The panel later visited the Pulau Tekong Hand Grenade Live Range where they saw a grenade-throwing training session. They watched recruits go through safety drills and practise with dummy grenades under the watchful eyes of their instructors. These drills are essential for recruits before they are allowed to handle live grenades. The panel then watched the recruits throwing live grenades at the range.

Speaking to some of the recruits about the experience, Mr Chan noted that they were "not scared, but there was a lot of apprehension. For those who had thrown the grenade, (afterwards) they felt a huge sense of relief and that they had achieved something". He added: "This very exercise has helped our recruits overcome fear. I think it is a very useful exercise for our NSmen."

Mr Chan said all the members of the panel "were deeply impressed by the safety precautions that were taken by the SAF to enable the recruits to throw the grenade. There was intensive training... so we are really impressed that there are so many drills that the soldiers have to go through before they are allowed to throw the grenade."

Expressing his satisfaction with this first visit by the ERPSS, BG (Ret) Wong said: "I think this has been a great introduction for them. They have been able to see how a big and important unit like BMTC puts safety to practice, to ensure that training is done realistically, yet safely."

The ERPSS s next visit will be to the Officer Cadet School in January 2014.