Participation in the CFR Scheme is open only to the building management and building tenants of buildings participating in the Safety and Security Watch Group (SSWG) Scheme (SSWG member buildings). Building tenants should check with their building management to determine if their building is a SSWG member building.

Click here for more information on the SSWG Scheme.

There is no membership fee required to participate in the CFR Scheme. CFR Cordon Passes are issued at no charge upon registration, but a fee will be charged to replace lost or damaged passes.

Upon joining the CFR Scheme, the membership is valid as long as the organisation’s building is part of the SSWG Scheme. Should a building tenant move to different premises, SPF should be informed so that the CFR membership information can be registered to the new SSWG, where applicable.

The CFR Scheme entails the pre-identification of key personnel within the CFR Member organisation so that these personnel can be adequately trained and prepared to respond should an incident occur. For the efficient administration of the CFR Scheme, liaison personnel from the building management as well as Police are identified.

I. CFR Member Personnel

Corporate First Responder Team

Every organisation participating in the CFR Scheme would be required to form a Corporate First Responder Team. The CFR Team should be made up of pre-identified critical personnel who are able to serve the following roles:

• Assist SCDF with Rescue Operations

The Fire Safety Act permits SCDF to request the assistance of Fire Safety Managers (FSMs) and Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) engineers to provide information and assistance to the rescue effort. Other personnel (and key support staff) including those from building tenants with intimate local knowledge of the premises, systems and processes may also be called upon to fulfil this role.

• Assist SPF with Investigations

Police investigations into a major incident will draw on both forensic evidence and eye-witness accounts. The evidence and information-gathering effort would be further aided by the presence of personnel from both the building management and building tenants. These persons would also be called upon for assistance when necessary.

• Carry out Business Continuity activity

This group of CFRs would include senior management staff and any other person that the organisations consider critical to business recovery. The team composition would depend on the business continuity plan derived from the said organisation’s analysis of its critical functions.

As a general guideline, given that the duration of access to the incident site might be limited, immediate needs would be activities such as damage assessment, technology shutdowns, and critical data and document removal. However, if the safety and security situation permits, prolonged access to the incident site would be permitted. CFRs could include non-permanent staff such as approved service providers / vendors who are essential to immediate business recovery needs.

Number of Corporate First Responders

For all CFR Members, 10% of the employees may be appointed as CFRs and receive passes, but a maximum of 10 CFR Cordon Passes will be issued to building tenants and a maximum of 15 CFR Cordon Passes will be issued to building management. 2 passes will be issued to organisations with less than 20 employees upon request. The maximum number of CFRs permitted in relation to the number of full-time employees is illustrated below:

Each appointed CFR will be issued with a personalised photo CFR Cordon Pass that is non-transferable. Particulars of the organisation management, the individual appointed CFRs and a few other key building personnel will be registered with SPF during the registration process.

Should there be any changes in any of the above personnel, SPF must be informed immediately. CFR Cordon Passes will be issued to newly-appointed CFRs, as necessary. CFR Cordon Passes of personnel no longer serving as CFRs must be surrendered to SPF before new passes are issued.

II. Building Personnel

CFR Building Liaison (BL) / Alternate CFR BL

Every CFR member building is required to nominate a CFR Building Liaison (BL). The roles and responsibilities of the CFR BL are:

• To be the main point of contact between SPF, the building management and the building tenants on all matters related to the CFR Scheme, both during peacetime and emergency/post-incident situations;
• To manage the CFR Scheme registration process for the building management as well as the building tenants;
• To ensure that all CFRs are familiar with the workings of the CFR Scheme; and
• To maintain the integrity, accuracy and currency of CFR information for SPF’s CFR database.

Each participating organisation must also nominate an alternate CFR BL whose contact information should also be provided to SPF, to be contacted and to assume the CFR BL’s duties if the primary CFR BL is unavailable.

III. Police Personnel

CFR Police Liaison Officer (PLO)

On all issues related to the CFR Scheme, CFR BLs and Alternate CFR BLs will communicate and work with the CFR Police Liaison Officer (PLO). The CFR PLOs would usually be the Community Liaison & Preparedness Officers (CLPOs) from the nearest NPC and would concurrently be the SSWG PLOs.

For access into the cordoned area, CFRs must be in possession of a CFR Cordon Pass. The CFR Cordon Passes will bear the CFR's photo and state the CFR's name, NRIC/FIN, designation, as well as the CFR Member name and address.

The guidelines on the CFR Cordon Pass usage are as follows:

• The CFR Cordon Pass must be worn at all times when within the cordon;
• The CFR Cordon Pass must be shown for inspection upon request by SPF officers within the cordon;
• Each CFR Cordon Pass allows only the CFR whose name and particulars are stated on the pass to enter the cordon;
• Access is permitted to the building and unit stated on the CFR Cordon Pass only;
• The CFR Cordon Pass must be produced together with authorised photo ID (NRIC, passport) for verification at the Reporting Point before entry is permitted; and
• The CFR Cordon Pass will be scanned at the cordon access point to register every entry and departure of the CFRs in the cordon access system.

CFR Cordon Passes are issued at no charge.

Issuance of replacement CFR Cordon Passes due to CFR re-appointments, staff turnover and change in CFR / CFR Member information will be at no charge. However the cost of the replacement of lost passes will be borne by the CFR Member.

It is the responsibility of the CFR Member to report to Police, through the BL, any lost CFR Cordon Passes or apply for replacement CFR Cordon Passes.

The incident site will be cordoned off while rescue operations are underway. Access to the building(s) directly affected by the incident will continue to be restricted. CFRs will be permitted access to the surrounding unaffected buildings that are within the cordoned area, depending on the situation. Factors such as safety and Home Team operations will be taken into consideration. Approval and extent of access is at the discretion of the SPF and SCDF ground commanders.

Note that individual CFR access within the cordon is restricted to the building stated on the CFR Cordon Pass.

CFR access to the cordoned area is permitted at the discretion of the SPF and SCDF ground commanders, in consultation with other relevant agencies. Restrictions on CFR access into the affected site, once granted, will be imposed as necessary.

As part of procedures under Fire Emergency Plans, the Fire Safety Manager would, when the situation permits, go directly to the Fire Command Centre (FCC) to link up with SCDF emergency responders once an incident occurs. SCDF will assess the necessity to activate other CFRs who can assist in rescue operations. Similarly, SPF will assess the need for CFRs who can assist with investigation operations and activate them.

CFRs who carry out business continuity activities would not be automatically activated immediately after an incident occurs and are not expected to be activated in the few hours following the incident. Therefore, CFRs should not to rush to the scene once the incident occurs to prevent unnecessary congestion on-site.

Police will leverage on Short Message System (SMS) and contact through the Building Liaisons to inform the CFRs of the affected areas, provide regular updates and of scheme activation.

When CFRs are activated, the CFR Member will be informed to select and send suitable CFR representatives to attend a Police CFR briefing. The briefing for affected CFR Member organisations will be held prior to the approved CFR access time

These CFR Member organisations will be informed as to the number or representatives to attend the briefing. These representatives will be responsible for disseminating information to all CFRs in their respective organisations. The briefing will cover issues such as the expected CFR access time, access duration, location of Reporting Point and Access Point, orientation of incident site and safety procedures.

Note that this basic set of preliminary information would be accurate at the time of the briefing only, as the ground situation could be volatile. Subsequent to the briefing, updates will be sent via SMS or other means through the Building Liaisons. All CFRs are assumed to be aware of the updated information when they enter the cordon.

CFR access to the cordoned area is permitted at the discretion of the SPF and SCDF ground commanders, in consultation with other relevant agencies. Restrictions on CFR access into the affected site, once granted, will be imposed as necessary.

When CFRs descend onto the scene, they will be directed to the designated Reporting Point (RP) where they are required to produce the pre-issued CFR Cordon Pass and photo ID for verification using the cordon access system.

Upon verification, CFRs will be directed to the cordon access point. The CFR Cordon Pass will be scanned by a handheld cordon pass reader to register the CFRs’ entry into the cordon. The same procedure at the cordon access point will apply to register the CFRs’ departure from the cordon.

At any point in time when the CFRs are in the cordoned area, a situation might arise that would warrant withdrawal by CFRs. For example, a neighbouring building previously assessed to be structurally safe could be reassessed to be structurally unsafe due to changing conditions, putting other buildings at risk.

CFRs will be notified to evacuate from their buildings using building public address systems, fire alarm or other means. Information on the actual evacuation notification process will be disseminated during the CFR briefing and at the Reporting Point where verification takes place.

This evacuation should be carried as per usual fire evacuation procedure in an orderly fashion. Police officers will be on-hand to facilitate any evacuation.

If access is not viable in the immediate hours following a withdrawal, CFRs will be requested to leave the site. When necessary, they will be contacted via the CFR BLs as was done previously.

If a building is a SSWG member building, building managers/owners simply need to complete the CFR Building Management Registration Form (1 per building) and Individual CFR Registration Forms (1 per appointed CFR), and submit the forms to their SSWG Police Liaison Officer.

If a building is not a SSWG member building, the building management/owner is required to participate in the SSWG Scheme before registration on the CFR Scheme is possible. Click here for more information on the SSWG Scheme and how to participate.

If a building is a SSWG member building, building tenants simply need to complete the CFR Building Tenant Registration Form (1 per tenant) and Individual CFR Registration Forms (1 per appointed CFR), and submit it to the building management. Building management should then submit the CFR Building Management Registration Form with the collated CFR Building Tenant Registration Forms and Individual CFR Registration Forms to their SSWG Police Liaison Officer.