Civil Defence Act 1986

2020 REVISED EDITION

This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021

An Act to provide for the raising, maintenance and discipline of a civil defence force and for the exercise of the functions and powers of the Force during national emergencies, and for purposes connected therewith.

[14 November 1986]

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title

1. This Act is the Civil Defence Act 1986.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“auxiliary member” means any person who has been recruited to serve as a member of the Force on a part-time basis;

“civil defence” means the planning, organisation, coordination and implementation of measures, other than measures amounting to an actual combat, that are necessary or desirable for the safety of the public and are designed to guard against, prevent, reduce, or overcome the effects or possible effects of a national emergency or a civil defence emergency, and includes the conducting of, and participation in, drills, exercises and training for such purposes;

“civil defence emergency” means any fire, explosion, earthquake, oil spill, eruption, flood, storm, hazardous materials incident or other happening (whether or not attributable to an attack by an enemy or to any warlike act) that causes or may cause destruction of or damage to property or loss of life or injury or distress to persons or that in any way endangers the safety of the public in Singapore or in any part thereof;

“commanding officer” means —

(a)	an officer who is in command of a unit; or
(b)	an officer on whom the powers and functions of a commanding officer are conferred by or under the regulations;

“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Civil Defence appointed under section 6;

“detention barracks” means any building or part of a building which is set apart by the Commissioner for those members who are serving sentences of detention;

“disciplinary officer” means a junior disciplinary officer or a senior disciplinary officer designated as such under Part 7;

“emergency services” means any organisation or group of persons providing services to respond to and deal with civil defence emergencies, and includes firefighting services, ambulance services and the police;

“ex-NSman” means a former operationally ready national serviceman;

“Force” means the Singapore Civil Defence Force raised and maintained in accordance with the provisions of this Act;

“full-time service” has the meaning given by the Enlistment Act 1970;

“Fund” means the Civil Defence Force Fund established under section 101;

“hazardous material” means any substance or article set out in the Third Schedule to the Road Traffic (Expressway Traffic) Rules;

“hazardous materials incident” means an actual or suspected spillage or other escape of any hazardous material the spillage or escape of which causes or may cause destruction of or damage to property or loss of life or injury or distress to persons or that in any way endangers the safety of the public in Singapore or in any part thereof;

“junior disciplinary officer”, in relation to a person charged with an offence, means an officer commanding a company or equivalent sub‑unit or any other officer designated as a junior disciplinary officer by the Commissioner to deal with charges made against a member for the commission of a service offence;

“medical practitioner” includes a medical officer in the service of the Government;

“member” means an officer or a serviceman of the Force, and includes a volunteer ex‑NSman or an auxiliary member;

“national service” and “national serviceman” have the meanings given by the Enlistment Act 1970;

“non-commissioned officer” means a member holding a rank not higher than the rank of senior warrant officer and not lower than the rank of lance‑corporal;

“offence” means an offence punishable under any written law or a service offence;

“officer” means an officer of the rank of second lieutenant and above;

“operationally ready national service” has the meaning given by the Enlistment Act 1970;

“operationally ready national serviceman” means a person liable to render operationally ready national service under the Enlistment Act 1970;

“person of a higher rank”, in relation to a member, includes any other member who, by virtue of his or her office or appointment, is entitled to exercise command over the firstmentioned member;

“police officer” means any member of the Singapore Police Force;

“prescribed civil defence emergency device” means —

(a)	a public warning device; or
(b)	such device for the detection or monitoring of a civil defence emergency as may be prescribed,

and includes a prescribed civil defence emergency device installed by the Commissioner, with the agreement of the owner of the premises, before 1 February 2019;

“proper authority” has the meaning given by the Enlistment Act 1970;

“provost officer” means any member of the Force appointed by the Commissioner as a provost officer for the purposes of this Act;

“public officer” has the meaning given by the Constitution;

“public authority” includes a body corporate constituted under any written law to perform certain functions or vested with certain powers;

“regulations” means the regulations made under this Act;

“senior disciplinary officer”, in relation to a person charged with an offence, means an officer commanding a division, battalion, training school or its equivalent or any other officer designated as a senior disciplinary officer by the Commissioner to deal with charges made against a member for the commission of a service offence;

“serviceman” means a member of the Force holding a rank not higher than the rank of senior warrant officer and includes a recruit in the Force;

“service land” means land (including a building or other structure or part thereof) in the possession of or under the control of —

(a)	the Force; or
(b)	a mess, club, common room, canteen or other institution of the Force;

“service offence” means an offence punishable under any of the provisions of Part 5;

“service property” means property used by, or in the possession or control of —

(a)	the Force; or
(b)	a mess, club, common room, canteen or other institution of the Force,

and “service equipment”, “service facilities”, “service ship”, “service aircraft” and “service vehicle” have corresponding meanings;

“state of civil defence emergency” means a state of civil defence emergency declared under section 102;

“state of emergency” means the period when a Proclamation of Emergency issued by the President under Article 150 of the Constitution is in force;

“volunteer ex‑NSman” means an ex‑NSman enrolled as a volunteer ex‑NSman under section 9A.

[32/2010; 53/2018]

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