Central Fire Station

Singapore was plagued by fires throughout the late nineteenth century, with nothing but valiant volunteers, horse-drawn engines, and hand cranked pumps on offer to tamp the flames. In 1888 the Municipal Commission created an organized team and a purpose-built station—but neither proved sufficient. So in 1904, a professional firefighter was brought over from England and became the superintendent of the Singapore Fire Brigade. He trained the force and championed the construction of a modern firehouse.

The resulting regal Central Fire Station opened in 1909. The three-story complex, strategically placed at the heart of town, includes living quarters, a carpentry shop, and a lookout tower, among other swank additions. Its distinct red-and-white brick facade gained it the nickname “blood and bandage.” Firefighters still slide down Singapore’s firstever fire pole and are able to access emergencies in record time.

In 1989 the old brigade transformed into the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), an upgraded team who fights fires and hopefully occasionally rescues a cat stuck in a tree.

The Central Fire Station remains a gem in the lion city’s history and is now a national monument, home to a Civil Defence Heritage Gallery of firefighting memorabilia and vintage engines. Still fully operational, it continues to blaze new chapters in the city’s history and extinguish any crises—while ensuring that minimal amounts of blood and bandages are required on the scene.

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