Shelter Protection

Civil Defence shelters come in the form of Household, Storey and Public Shelters. They are meant to protect you from injury caused by weapons during a war time emergency.

A Household Shelter (HS) refers to a shelter inside an individual dwelling unit. A Storey Shelter (SS) is similar to the Household Shelter (HS), except that it is larger and located in a common area on every storey. Internal fire escape staircases can also be adapted and configured to serve as shelters and are known as Staircase Storey Shelters. A Public Shelter (PS) refers to a shelter built in a public development (e.g. an MRT station, the foot of a HDB block, a school, a community centre or a government building).

During a war time emergency, the SCDF will advise the public on the protection measures to adopt.

Household Shelters

During a war time emergency, the SCDF will inform residents to prepare their Household Shelters (HS) for occupation. The preparations will include:

• Removing all temporary fixtures and shelves inside the Household Shelter.

• Closing and sealing the two ventilation openings.

• Equipping the Household Shelter with a telephone, television or radio set, battery-operated torchlight, etc.
  

Ventilation Openings

Besides the lighting, power, telephone and television/radio points provided in the Household Shelters (HS), there are two ventilation openings in the Household Shelter wall(s).

During a War Time Emergency

• Close both ventilation openings tightly with the steel plates provided to ensure air-tightness of the whole Household Shelter. This will protect you and your family from inhaling contaminants from the outside.

• In this airtight mode, you can stay relatively comfortably inside the Household Shelter for several hours. The actual duration of stay will depend on factors such as the age, gender and physical condition of the shelterees.

• These openings can be closed by tightening the steel plates using ordinary household tools. Should there be a future requirement during a war time emergency for you to stay longer in the Household Shelter or for more people to be accommodated inside the Household Shelter, these ventilation
  openings will provide the means to bring in fresh air and let out stale air through the fitting of appropriate equipment which SCDF will specify when the need arises.

During Peace Time

• The ventilation openings provide ventilation for day-to-day use of the Household Shelter.

• Leave at least 25% of the aggregate ventilation opening area uncovered so as to prevent anyone accidentally trapped inside the Household Shelter from suffocating. This requirement is specified in the list of “Permitted and Not Permitted Works” (Chapter 7 of the Technical Requirements for Household Shelters) and also mentioned in the door notice affixed to the inner face of the Household Shelter door.

Public Shelters

If you are not at home and hear the “Alarm” signal, look for the nearest shelter. If there is no Public Shelter (PS) near you, take cover by going into an underground structure (e.g. basement of a building, tunnel or underpass). Keep away from any glass windows or panels. If there is no such substantial structure nearby and/or you cannot reach one within a few minutes, look for a drain culvert or any kind of cover, or lie flat in a ditch.

To identify a Public Shelter, look out for the Civil Defence shelter sign which indicates the location of a Public Shelter. Information on the locations of all public shelters is available at the Bomb Shelter website.

Taking Cover in the Open

What to do if you are outdoors when the "Alarm" signal is sounded

If you are out in the open and hear the “Alarm” signal, run to the nearest Public Shelter or some cover such as the basement of a building, a tunnel or an underpass. If there is no such substantial structure nearby and/or you cannot reach one within a few minutes, look out for and seek protection in the following places:

Preventing Damage

Although we cannot control the use of weapons (e.g. bombs, shells) that cause damage, there are many measures we can take in advance to prevent damage to property or at the very least, minimise it.