If you’re a Singaporean, chances are you live in a Housing & Development Board (HDB) flat or know of someone who does. After all, according to the latest national census, more than 80% of Singapore’s population live in HDB flats. And you would have most likely seen a HDB built-in bomb shelter before or even have one in your own flat.
The Civil Defence Shelter Act, passed in 1998, requires a bomb shelter to be included in all homes of new residential developments. According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the bomb shelter or “the Household Shelter (HS) in a dwelling unit is typically the store cum pantry with its walls, floor and ceiling strengthened with increased thickness. The walls are set back by specified distances from the building exterior and the entrance to the HS is installed with an SCDF-approved light protective steel door. The HS gives protection to the shelterees against weapon effects such as blast and fragments during an emergency.”
To put it simply, for HDB homes, the bomb shelter is a steel-enforced enclosure installed as a permanent fixture inside flats with a steel-enforced door.
As much as an eyesore it may seem to be, bomb shelters are actually important – especially when the world is an increasingly unsafe place with threats of war declared (yes, North Korea, we’re looking at you). Ezbuy recommend five ways to make the most out of your bomb shelter.
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