Fire is worse than robbery so they say. Actually both are undesirable but for the purposes of comparison, others would prefer robbery than fire. When you are robbed, robbers will only get something of value. When your house is on fire, it will engulf everything. It will not leave anything.

When there’s fire, it is critical that we know how to deal with it so we will not incur total damage. The first line of defence is fire extinguisher. If we have fire extinguisher, we should not forget to P A S S. What’s P A S S?

• P: P stands for pull. When we have the fire extinguisher within our reach, the basic thing that we need to do is pull the pin.
• A: After pulling the pin, the next thing that we need to do is aim the nozzle of extinguisher at the base of the flames.

• S: Now that we aimed for the base of the flames, the next thing that we need to do is squeeze the trigger while holding the extinguisher in an upright position.
• S: The last thing that we need to do is sweep the extinguisher from side to side covering the area of the fire.

Now we are knowledgeable about fire suppression. Fire extinguishers are widely available here in Singapore. In the event that we cannot handle the fire, it is time to call the nearest fire station. There are many fire stations here in Singapore so this is not an issue. You have the responsibility to lead the people towards the exit.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will conduct more inspections to check the fire safety compliance of commercial buildings. This is the agency’s efforts to prevent fire in commercial buildings especially that the holidays are drawing in. SCDF continually repeats that the management should obey fire prevention guidelines for the safety of their patrons.

Here in Singapore, there is Fire Safety Act. The Fire Safety Act includes a section that tackles about Fire Prevention in Buildings. As a business entity, it is important that you know fire prevention so your patrons will feel safe. Here’s an idea:

Fire Certificate

The owner should get hold of a fire certificate from the commissioner. Before filling the application, the owner should comply all safety precautions. If the commissioner is satisfied, he/she has the right to issue the certificate.

Emergency Response Plan

The owner needs to prepare and execute emergency response plan. Furthermore, the owner has the responsibility distribute this plan to the occupants. Apart from that, the owners need to organize and perform regular fire and evacuation drills.

Managers and Other Emergency Response Teams

The minister will specify the premise that needs fire safety managers as well as emergency response teams. The owner should also ensure that guidelines and safety practices are observed in the building.

Fires can be prevented if the management is compliant and vigilant. Failure to comply with fire safety guidelines and prevention will be fined (up to S$200,000) and jailed (up to 24 months). The public should also take part. If you spot any fires, you need to call the SCDF right away to prevent it from damaging too much.

Loansharking is illegal but there is no doubt that it is common here in Singapore. In fact, on November 26 and 27, 2013, police arrested 16 people who were members of an illegal money lending syndicate that is accountable for more than three hundred harassments. Another man was also arrested on December 7, 2013.

Under the law, if someone is found guilty of operating or assisting loansharking, he/she can pay S$30000 to S$300000 plus a compulsory jail term of four years and six hits of cane. Alternatively, the police is advising the public to keep away from loansharking activities. The public needs to eschew this illegal activity. Here’s what you can do:

1.       Be vigilant

You need to be vigilant. If there are suspicious people around your neighbourhood, you can act by reporting to the police immediately. You also need to call the attention of the police if you know of harassment activities. If you want to reach the police and you need immediate assistance, you can dial 999.

2.       Join COP and NWGs

Before the police can rescue the neighbourhood, COP (Citizens on Patrol) and NWGs (Neighbourhood Watch Groups) will serve as the first line of defence. If you are serious about stopping loansharking activities, you have to join COP and NWGs. You need to contact Police Centre nearby and ask how you can take part.

3.       Spread awareness

There are people who needs to be aware of this situation. If you do not want to join COP or NWGs, you can help by spreading the awareness to all people in the neighbourhood. This is not a problem because educational posters are present everywhere. There are also advisories distributed around. You can help by spreading the information.

4.       Educate your children

There is an increasing trend of youths joining loansharking activities. In 2010, it was noted that 78 youths were arrested for assisting loansharking activities. Youths are used in this trade because if they are caught, they will only experience probation. With this, it is important that parents educate their children. Parents need to be watchful of their children’s activities.

We all have our difficult moments especially when it comes to our finances but loansharking should never be an option. If you are encountering a financial difficulty, you should exhaust all methods but never loansharking. You will know if it is loansharking when you are offered with an easy loan application with a very large interest. Ask for the license and other government accreditations.