SCDF hindered by clutter at Boon Lay corridor: Town council serves advisories to residents

Advisories have been served to residents whose corridor clutter obstructed paramedics from reaching a cardiac arrest patient in Boon Lay, said West Coast Town Council.

Stomper Ho, a Community First Responder (CFR) who lives at Block 188 Boon Lay Drive, said a resident on the 10th floor suffered a cardiac arrest on December 27, at around 12.30pm.

However, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had difficulty passing through the cluttered corridor with their stretcher.

Ho said that she, town council staff and SCDF had to work together to clear a path. Paramedics left with the elderly patient after 45 minutes.

According to Ho, the clutter belongs to multiple households and has been a persistent issue despite "advisories, warnings and summonses" from the town council.

In response to a Stomp query, West Coast Town Council said it had served notice to remind residents to remove their belongings from the corridor as it was causing obstruction.

The town council told Stomp on Saturday (Dec 31): "On Dec 27, our team was alerted of the case and immediately deployed our staff to check on the block. They discovered excessive obstruction and quickly assisted to clear the items.

"After SCDF and the patient were safely escorted from the block, advisories were served to the residents of each unit to remove the excessive items along the corridor.

"In view of the incident, Town Council has conducted another round of checks to make sure the corridors are cleared and will continue to declutter the surrounding blocks.

"We would like to remind residents not to obstruct the common corridors for the safety and convenience of everyone."

The town council also shared a photo of the decluttered corridor after the notice was served.

This is not the first time corridor clutter has gotten in the way of SCDF personnel.

In August 2019, a Stomper shared a video showing paramedics struggling to move her sick and injured 93-year-old grandmother due to a 'mini forest' at Block 58 Marine Terrace.

Separately in March 2021, a wheelchair-bound woman demonstrated how leaving her Block 906 Jurong West Street 91 home for kidney dialysis was akin to navigating an obstacle course.