SINGAPORE: There were more fires involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) and power-assisted bicycles (PABs) or e-bikes in the first half of 2023 compared with the same period last year, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
According to mid-year statistics released on Tuesday (Aug 22), SCDF said there were 27 such fires in the first half of the year - a 22.7 per cent increase from 22 in the first half of 2022.
Eighteen of those cases involved PABs – a 28.5 per cent increase from 14 cases in the first half of 2022 – while another nine cases involved PMDs, a 12.5 per cent rise from eight in the same period the year before.
SCDF advised users not to leave batteries or devices to charge unattended for an extended period of time or overnight, and not to charge them immediately after use. It also urged users not to tamper, modify or attempt to repair their devices, as well as to avoid buying PMDs without the UL2272 certification mark.
PABs must also have the EN15194 certification and affixed with the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) orange seal of approval.
COOKING-RELATED FIRES
SCDF also said that it responded to 967 fire calls in the first half of 2023 – a 5.3 per cent increase – compared with the same period last year.
“This was largely due to an increase in fires at non-building premises, particularly those involving items discarded at open spaces,” it added.
Of these, 493 took place in private and public residential premises, an increase of 2.7 per cent from the same period in 2022.
Fires involving cooking activities were the leading cause of fires in residential premises, accounting for 205 cases or 41.6 per cent.
This was followed by fires caused by electrical origin – or those involving faulty wirings and electrical appliances which ignite nearby combustible materials – with 131 cases.
SCDF also said it responded to 122,269 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls in the first half of 2023, a 4.8 per cent decrease from the same period last year.
Non-emergency calls saw a drop of 9.8 per cent to 5,203, as compared with 5,769 in the same period last year, while false alarm calls increased by 0.1 per cent.
SCDF also issued a reminder to the public on ways to prevent fires caused by PMDs or power assisted bicycles (PABs).
PMDs refer to wheeled, motorised gadgets like electric scooters or hoverboards, while PABs refer to bicycles equipped with battery-powered motors.
Here are some fire safety tips provided by SCDF:
- Don't charge batteries for an extended period of time, or overnight
- Don't buy or use non-original batteries
- Don't charge a PMD or PAB near combustible materials or near an escape path
- Do regularly check batteries for any damage or deformities
