Household shelters in HDB flats are actually storerooms strengthened to function as bomb shelter during a war. During peacetime, the shelters may be used by residents for their own purposes, although most employ them as storerooms. When war is imminent, the SCDF will step up its public education programme to advise residents on what to do to prepare their shelters. Basically they have to empty their shelters to create space for people to seek refuge in, and also to completely close off the ventilation openings.
In addition, SCDF will advise residents on other preparatory measures, such as bringing in essential household items into the shelter (such as telephones, radios, battery-operated torch-lights, important personal documents, water and medicine etc). The public will also be educated on the shelter occupation procedures.
As for public shelters, a total of 5 exercises were conducted for the population since 1988, as follows:
In addition, Shelter Open House cum CD Exhibition events were conducted in Feb 2000, Feb 2003 and more recently in Apr 2009. The Feb 2003 Shelter Open House involved four MRT public shelters along the new North-East Line and two HDB public shelters while the Apr 2009 Shelter Open House involved three MRT public shelters along the new Circle Line. Such programmes were conducted to serve as part of the continual process of sustaining public awareness on shelter provision and familiarising the population on the use of public shelters during a war situation, and also familiarise volunteers and grassroots leaders in assisting to convert and man the shelters.