The Singapore Fire Brigade (Photocredit: National Archives of Singapore, circa 1953)

Captain (CPT) Montague Pett, Superintendent of the Singapore Fire Brigade fought for the building of a new and modern Central Fire Station to replace the small stations and sub-stations around town.

Using bricks and iron imported from England, the fire station was designed with distinctive rusticated red brick, arched doorways and a plaster banded facade. The station was conceptualized to replace all the older small fire stations and substations around town such as Tan Quee Lan Street, Hill Street, Beach Road and Kampong Glam.

1 Aug 1909
Central Fire station was operational. It consist of the following:
a) 3-floor main building
b) Engine house at the ground floor of the main building (L:72' x W:32')
c) Hose drying and lookout tower (H:110')
d) Two 3-storey building that occupy 12 married and 20 single men quarters, engine repair shop, carpenters' shop, paint room, etc.
e) Training Yard (120'x70')

Architectural style: The style is an excellent example of late Georgian architecture, with its fully rusticated wall and columns and the play of the Classic arches and cantilever balconies. Feature brickwork is used with rendered rustications to give a Jacobean flavour.

The design: The Municipal Council of Singapore designed the Central Fire Station.

The architect: Mr W Fergusan

Architectural style: The historical distinctiveness of the building is its characteristic red and white rustication.

Cost: $64,000

1 Oct 1909
The Superintendent's bungalow was completed and occupied.

Arising from a mutiny of the 5th Light Infantry, Central Fire Station was used for the night supply depot for petrol. On 24 Feb 1915, it turned into a Repair Depot.

A "newer" section was built to cater for the arrival of motorised fire fighting vehicles. Commencement of building the extensions to the Central Fire Station and a three storey building at the rear of the new extension. As part of the operational consideration, the retrofitting of the Station also included building a watchtower to serve as a lookout point for fires; this station was also the tallest building around till the 1930s.

The project on extensions to the Central Fire Station was completed. It could accommodate 6 fire engines and quarters above for 2 officers. The new 3-storey building has given a bigger living space for a new capacity of 18 married quarters and larger number of single men.

When World War II began, and fear was in the air that the hostilities would arrive here, Singapore, which was a British Colony then, was placed the Colony was placed in a state of preparedness. Thus, the Auxiliary Fire Brigade (AFS) was born. Part of the training drills were conducted at the Central Fire Station and on the vacant land next to the Armenian Church. During the war, Central Fire Station was camouflaged to prevent its being hit by bomb runs. The walls of Central Fire Station were painted jungle green for camouflage before the war.

Despite being camouflaged the Central Fire Station itself received several direct hits from Japanese bombs. One bomb passed through the outer wall of an office on the first floor, another hit the married quarters destroying a piano. A third bomb created a huge crater at the entrance to the yard cutting off power, telephone connections and water supply to the station.

The building was not being used as the fire appliances' bay when the Singapore Fire Brigade acquired large fire engines in response to new fire threats. A new fire station was then planned within the Central Fire Station's premises to house the increasing number of bigger fire engines and emergency ambulances.

Since 1988, the government has embarked on the preservation of buildings with historical significance and Central Fire Station was one of the buildings earmarked for preservation by the Preservation of National Monuments Board.

May 1998
Demolition of Married and Single men Quarters

4 Oct 1998
Commencement of redevelopment of Central Fire Station and restoration of old block 1908 and 1926.

18 Dec 1998
With its rich history and historical value to Singapore, the Central Fire Station was gazetted as National Monument and is part of the Civic District Heritage Trail. The trail encompasses the museum precinct and it is thus befitting that a heritage gallery be set up in the station to showcase an integral part of Singapore's history. By housing a gallery in the station, visitors could be presented with a visual linkage between fire fighting of the past and the present. As the station's 1909 block was also part of the building that undergone a conservation and restoration process, which interface with the development of a new Central Fire Station's building, it was a good opportunity to establish a gallery.

23 Mar 2001
Completion of redevelopment of Central Fire Station. The Fire Safety Certificate was granted.

22 Nov 2001
Official opening of Civil Defence Heritage Gallery at the old block 1908. The concept of Civil Defence Heritage Gallery was developed aim at heightening the public's awareness of civil defence. It is a main public education tool for the Force by which the general public would gain a better understanding of civil defence and fire safety. The hands on exhibits allow them to learn fire safety and prevention skills. In addition, by tracing the illustrious history of fire fighting and civil defence in Singapore, the importance and need for Total Defence are impressed upon the visitors.

Central Fire Station was one of the four winners of the Architectural Heritage Awards given out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). In addition, Central Fire Station was one of the proud recipients of the 4th Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) Micro Design Awards Year 2002/2003 for the design of the station's external screen.

The gallery introduced the Tower Tour. The 30 meters 'lookout tower', once the tallest structure in Singapore from 1909 to 1930s, symbolises an iconic national safety was renovated to include safety features and infrastructures that enable visitors to get the rare chance to ascent the tower and to experience the watch duty fireman. Information on the 'Life in Central Fire Station' in 1930s to 1950s is displayed on display panels and a computerised sound-scape.