SINGAPORE : The Home Team is looking at the concept of a READY
Bag checklist to help Singaporeans practise emergency preparedness
as a way of life.
For example, it can contain essentials like a radio, torchlight and
first-aid items.
The READY Bag is, however, not meant to be a comprehensive toolkit
for every emergency.
Rather, it is to help promote preparedness.
A householder who customises the contents of his READY Bag takes
into account the needs of his family members and, at the same time,
also takes ownership in preparing for emergencies for his
family.
The idea of the READY Bag was raised for discussion by Home Affairs
Minister Wong Kan Seng at the Home Team Flagship Workshop on
Thursday.
He called for feedback and suggestions on what should be included
in the checklist and how the people can be encouraged to pack their
own READY Bags.
He said a team from the Ministry HQ and the Civil Defence Force is
currently working on finalising this checklist.
In his speech, Mr Wong made clear the security situation in the
region continues to be of concern, and will be for some time.
While Singaporeans are generally aware of the threat of terrorism,
he felt this should be taken a step further.
The people must be encouraged to take ownership and be empowered to
take it upon themselves to prepare for an emergency, knowing what
needs to be done and how to do it.
Such empowerment, Mr Wong says, is the key to the society's
resilience.
While a vigilant Singapore is ready to fight any threat, a ready
and prepared Singapore enables it to survive any incident and
swiftly return to business as usual. - CNA
