Enlistment (Fire Service) Regulations - Singapore Statutes Online

Enlistment Act

(Chapter 93, Section 33)

Enlistment (Fire Service) Regulations

Rg 4

G.N. No. S 296/1975

REVISED EDITION 1990

(25th March 1992)

[24th October 1975]

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Enlistment (Fire Service) Regulations.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations —

“Director of Fire Service” means the Director of Fire Service appointed under the Fire Service Act or the Chief of the Airport Fire and Rescue Service, as the case may be;

“senior officer” means a Deputy Director of Fire Service or the Deputy Chief of the Airport Fire and Rescue Service not below the rank of Assistant Divisional Aerodrome Fire Officer;

“Fire Service” means the Singapore Fire Service or the Airport Fire and Rescue Service.

Application

3. These Regulations shall apply to those national servicemen who have been enlisted in the Fire Service and are performing full-time, reserve or mobilised service.

Delegation

4. Any act or thing which may be done or performed by the Director of Fire Service may be done or performed by a senior officer who is duly authorised by the Director of Fire Service to act on his behalf.

Duties to be assigned by Director of Fire Service

5. Every national serviceman who has been enlisted in the Fire Service shall perform such duties as are assigned by the Director of Fire Service.

Conduct of national servicemen

6. Every national serviceman who has been enlisted in the Fire Service shall —

(a)	not neglect to carry out or disobey the standing instructions or lawful orders given by his superior officers, whether orally or in writing;
(b)	be punctual when he reports for duty;
(c)	not absent himself from duty without leave or reasonable excuse;
(d)	not leave his station without permission while on duty;
(e)	not sleep while on duty;
(f)	not misbehave while on parade;
(g)	be alert while on parade;
(h)	not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on duty;
(i)	not neglect or refuse to perform his duties;
(j)	be properly dressed and be clean and tidy in his personal appearance, clothing or accoutrements while on duty;
(k)	not wear fire boots outside his station for purposes other than attending a fire call or special service call;
(l)	not use abusive language or quarrel while on duty;
(m)	not make any false statement or any false or misleading entry in any official book or document;
(n)	not fail to make any entry in any official book or document which it is his duty to do the same;
(o)	not wilfully or negligently destroy or cause damage to Government property;
(p)	report the loss, damage or destruction of any property for which he is responsible;
(q)	not gamble in his station or other premises belonging to the Fire Service;
(r)	behave himself while in the station or other premises belonging to the Fire Service;
(s)	not engage in conduct which is prejudicial to good order or discipline of the Fire Service; and
(t)	not commit any act of plunder.

Charge

7.—(1) Where an allegation has been made against a national serviceman that he has contravened any of the provisions of regulation 6, the allegation shall be reported in the form of a charge to a senior officer who shall deal with it in accordance with this regulation.

(2) A senior officer may try a national serviceman only when —

(a)	the national serviceman belongs to his station or division; or
(b)	the Director of Fire Service has vested him with disciplinary powers over the national serviceman.

(3) A senior officer when dealing with a charge may —

(a)	dismiss the charge if he is of the opinion that it ought not to be proceeded with;
(b)	try the national serviceman summarily; or
(c)	if he is of the opinion that the charge should not be dealt with by him, refer the charge to the Director of Fire Service.

(4) A senior officer when trying a national serviceman shall read the charge over to him and ask for his plea.

(5) If the national serviceman admits the charge, the senior officer shall record that admission and may impose any of the punishments referred to in regulation 9.

(6) If the national serviceman does not admit the charge, the senior officer shall make a record to that effect and record any explanation given by the national serviceman.

(7) If the senior officer accepts the explanation given by the national serviceman he may dismiss the charge and record his reasons therefor.

(8) If an explanation given by a national serviceman is unacceptable or unsatisfactory, the senior officer shall proceed to —

(a)	examine all the witnesses giving evidence in support of the charge;
(b)	permit the national serviceman to cross-examine the witnesses; and
(c)	permit the national serviceman to give evidence on his own behalf and to have such witnesses as he may wish to be called on his behalf to give evidence and the senior officer may cross-examine them.

(9) The senior officer shall record a summary of the evidence of all the witnesses.

(10) At the conclusion of the enquiry the senior officer may —

(a)	dismiss the charge if he is not satisfied that it has been substantiated; or
(b)	if he finds the national serviceman guilty, impose any of the punishments referred to in regulation 9.

(11) A charge may be amended or a new charge added at any time before the senior officer makes his finding. Every such alteration or new charge shall be read over and explained to the national serviceman and he shall be called upon to plead anew to the amended or new charge.

Powers of Director of Fire Service in dealing with charge

8.—(1) The Director of Fire Service when dealing with a charge against a national serviceman for a contravention of any of the provisions of regulation 6 may —

(a)	dismiss the charge, if he is of the opinion that is ought not to be proceeded with; or
(b)	appoint an investigating officer to conduct an inquiry in accordance with this regulation.

(2) An investigating officer shall read the charge over to the national serviceman and ask for his plea. If the national serviceman admits the charge, the investigating officer shall record that admission and any explanation or mitigating circumstances given and submit his report to the Director of Fire Service who may impose any of the punishments referred to in regulation 9.

(3) If the national serviceman does not admit the charge, the investigating officer shall make a record to that effect and record any explanation given by the national serviceman.

(4) The investigating officer shall then proceed to —

(a)	examine all the witnesses giving evidence in support of the charge;
(b)	permit the national serviceman to cross-examine the witnesses; and
(c)	permit the national serviceman to give evidence on his own behalf and to have such witnesses as he may wish to be called on his behalf to give evidence, and the investigating officer may cross-examine them.

(5) the investigating officer shall record in writing the evidence of each witness and shall read it over to him and, when found correct, shall sign the record with a statement that he has recorded the evidence and it was read over to the witness.

(6) The evidence of each witness need not necessarily be recorded in the form of question and answer.

(7) At the conclusion of the inquiry, the investigating officer shall submit a report of his findings to the Director of Fire Service who may, after consideration of the report, in his discretion —

(a)	dismiss the charge, if he is not satisfied that it has been substantiated; or
(b)	find the national serviceman guilty of the charge and impose any of the punishments referred to in regulation 9.

(8) A charge may be amended or a new charge added at any time before the investigating officer submits his report to the Director of Fire Service. Every such alteration or new charge shall be read and explained to the national serviceman and he shall be called upon to plead anew to the amended or new charge.

(9) A national serviceman shall have the right to be represented by an officer of the Fire Service as counsel for his defence at an inquiry conducted by an investigating officer.

Punishments

9.—(1) The Director of Fire Service may, in the case of a national serviceman who has been found guilty of a charge that he has contravened any of the provisions of regulation 6, impose any one or a combination of the following punishments:

(a)	reprimand
(b)	extra drill or duty;
(c)	a fine not exceeding $10; and
(d)	stoppage of increment.

(2) A senior officer may, in the case of any national serviceman who is found guilty of a charge that he has contravened any of the provisions of regulation 6, impose any one or a combination of the following punishments:

(a)	reprimand; and
(b)	extra drill or duty.

(3) Where a national serviceman has been required to perform extra drill or duty in pursuance of this regulation, he shall not be required to perform more than two hours of extra drill or duty per day and the aggregate amount of extra drill or duties performed by him for a contravention of regulation 6 shall not exceed 10 hours.

Appeals

10.—(1) Any national serviceman who is dissatisfied with a decision of a senior officer may appeal to the Director of Fire Service whose decision shall be final.

(2) An appeal may be made within 3 days of the date a senior officer made his finding and in every case where an appeal has been lodged any punishment awarded shall be suspended pending the determination of the appeal.

Record of proceedings

11. Every senior officer shall keep a record of the proceedings conducted by him under these Regulations and upon the conclusion of the proceedings shall forthwith forward the record to the Director of Fire Service.

Rewiew of record by Director of Fire Service

12.—(1) The Director of Fire Service may —

(a)	quash any finding or punishment made or imposed by a senior officer;
(b)	substitute any new finding for a finding for guilt made by a senior officer if he is satisfied that the new finding could have been made on the facts established before the senior officer; or
(c)	substitute another punishment or a lesser punishment where the punishment imposed by the senior officer is unduly excessive but so that the punishment shall not in any event be greater or more severe than that awarded by the senior officer.

(2) Any substituted finding or punishment under paragraph (1) shall be treated for all purposes as a finding of or punishment imposed by the senior officer.

Additional punishment

13.—(1) Where a national serviceman has contravened regulation 6(o), he shall be liable, in addition to the punishment provided under regulation 9, to pay for the whole or part of the value of the property lost, damaged or destroyed and the Director of Fire Service may recover any sum due from a national serviceman by making regular deductions from his emoluments over a period of time.

(2) Any punishment imposed upon a national serviceman under these Regulations shall be recorded in his service account.

Saving

14. Nothing in these Regulations shall be construed to prevent the prosecution, conviction and punishment of any national serviceman in accordance with the provisions of any other written law for the time being in force.

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