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Community Emergency Preparedness in Singapore: What Courses Can You Take?

If you search for emergency preparedness courses in Singapore, you will still find pages telling you to enrol in Tier 1, 2, or 3 of SCDF's Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP). That advice is out of date.

SCDF replaced the three-tier CEPP in January 2024 with the Responders Plus Programme (RPP). The current route is simpler: complete a 45-minute online module, then attend a four-hour practical session if you want hands-on practice. Both parts are free.

This guide explains what happened to the CEPP tiers, how to register for current SCDF training, which paid certification courses are available elsewhere, and when SkillsFuture Credit can cover the fee.

What was the Community Emergency Preparedness Programme?

The Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) was SCDF's progressive public training programme for first aid, CPR-AED, firefighting, and wider civil defence skills. Its three tiers were:

  1. Tier 1, I Am Safe: self-directed e-learning and an online assessment covering personal and household emergency preparedness.
  2. Tier 2, Response Ready: the "Triangle of Life" skills, meaning basic first aid, CPR-AED, and basic firefighting. Practical sessions let participants use a fire extinguisher, practise compressions, and handle common injuries.
  3. Tier 3, Lifesaver: more advanced first aid and preparedness skills, including rescue breathing, fracture immobilisation, and In-Place Protection.

The structure made sense on paper, but it also left people trying to work out which tier they needed. SCDF replaced it with one current programme split into online and practical components.

Do not try to register through an old CEPP event page. Use SCDF's current Responders Plus Programme page.

Responders Plus is the current SCDF preparedness course

The Responders Plus Programme (RPP) covers the same core problem as CEPP: what can an ordinary person do before professional responders arrive?

RPP has two components.

RPP Online takes about 45 minutes

The self-directed module covers:

  • The role of a Community First Responder
  • Basic first aid
  • CPR and AED use
  • Basic firefighting
  • SGSecure

You can pause and resume the module. SCDF issues an e-certificate after successful completion.

This is useful orientation, but watching compressions on a screen is not the same as performing them on a manikin. Treat the online module as preparation for practical training, not a substitute for it.

RPP In-Person gives you four hours of practice

The practical component is conducted at SCDF's four Division Headquarters. It covers:

  • Essential emergency preparedness knowledge
  • First aid
  • CPR and AED practice
  • Fire safety and evacuation
  • SGSecure procedures

SCDF encourages participants to complete both components. That is the sensible route if you have never practised CPR, handled an AED trainer, or used a fire extinguisher.

How to register for Responders Plus

Start with the online module from the official RPP page.

For the in-person session, contact the SCDF Division Headquarters nearest your home or workplace:

  • 1st Division: 3 Queensway, Singapore 149073
  • 2nd Division: 1 Tampines Industrial Avenue 3, Singapore 528777
  • 3rd Division: 533 Yishun Industrial Park A, Singapore 768774
  • 4th Division: 80 Bukit Batok Road, Singapore 658072

SCDF publishes the current phone numbers and email contacts on the RPP page. Use that page rather than copying contact details from an old event listing, because instructors and administrators can change.

There is no course fee for RPP, so you do not need SkillsFuture Credit to attend.

DARE Plus is the shorter community option

If four hours is difficult to schedule, SCDF also runs the free, one-hour Dispatcher-Assisted first REsponder (DARE) Plus Programme through participating Community Centres.

DARE Plus focuses on:

  • Hands-only CPR and AED use
  • "Run, Hide and Tell"
  • Improvised first aid for severe bleeding
  • The P.A.S.S. method for using a fire extinguisher

SCDF advises residents to ask their nearest Community Centre about availability. Sessions are tied to community rollout and may not run at every centre on every date. See SCDF's Heartware training page for the current description.

Choose DARE Plus if you want a fast, practical introduction. Choose RPP if you want broader emergency preparedness training.

When you should take an accredited course instead

RPP and DARE Plus teach useful skills, but they are community preparedness programmes. They may not satisfy a workplace, coaching, childcare, healthcare, or Company Emergency Response Team requirement.

If an employer or regulator requires certification, first ask for the exact course title. "First aid certified" is too vague.

The Singapore Resuscitation and First Aid Council (SRFAC) accredits core courses and maintains a directory of approved training centres. Common options include:

  • CPR (Hands-Only) + AED: a focused course for adults who mainly want cardiac arrest response skills.
  • Standard First Aid: CPR-AED plus bleeding, burns, fractures, respiratory emergencies, and other common injuries.
  • Basic Cardiac Life Support + AED (BCLS+AED): more detailed resuscitation training, commonly taken by healthcare workers and people with clinical duties.
  • Child First Aid: aimed at emergencies involving infants and children, often required in early childhood settings.
  • Occupational First Aid or CERT First Aider: designed around workplace or emergency response team duties.

Check that the provider and the specific course are currently accredited. A training company saying it "follows guidelines" is not the same as an SRFAC-accredited certificate.

Courses outside SCDF: where to look

Two established public providers are:

  • Singapore Red Cross Academy: offers CPR-AED, Basic First Aid, Standard First Aid, BCLS+AED, Child First Aid, Occupational First Aid, and refresher courses. Its training catalogue identifies which courses are SRFAC-accredited and which are SkillsFuture-supported.
  • St John Singapore: offers CPR-AED, Standard First Aid, BCLS+AED, Child First Aid, Occupational First Aid, and instructor courses. Its public course portal shows dates at Beach Road and Jurong.

You are not limited to those two organisations. SRFAC's training-centre directory includes other approved providers across Singapore. Compare location, language, class dates, certificate requirements, and whether the course includes an assessment.

For broader preparedness, Red Cross and St John also offer options such as psychological or mental health first aid. Those courses address distress and crisis support, not CPR or physical first aid, so choose them as an addition rather than a replacement.

Can you use SkillsFuture Credit for first aid and CPR-AED courses?

Sometimes. SkillsFuture Credit applies to the course listing, not automatically to every first aid class offered by a provider.

Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above can use available SkillsFuture Credit for courses marked as eligible in the MySkillsFuture course directory. Examples listed there include selected:

  • CPR-AED and BCLS+AED courses
  • Basic or Standard First Aid with CPR-AED
  • Occupational First Aid with CPR-AED
  • CERT First Aider courses
  • Child First Aid courses

Course eligibility, subsidies, dates, and payable fees can change. Before paying:

  1. Search MySkillsFuture using the exact course title or Training Grant System (TGS) reference shown by the provider.
  2. Confirm that the listing displays SkillsFuture Credit and has an available intake.
  3. Check your personal eligibility and net fee after logging in with Singpass.
  4. Follow the provider's SkillsFuture registration flow before making payment.

Do not assume you can pay cash first and claim it back later. Some providers explicitly warn that cash payments will not be refunded when a learner later decides to use SkillsFuture Credit.

The free SCDF programmes do not need funding. SkillsFuture is most relevant when you need a longer, assessed course with a recognised certificate.

Which emergency preparedness course should you choose?

Use this shortcut:

  • I want a free overview: RPP Online.
  • I want free hands-on practice: RPP In-Person.
  • I only have an hour: ask your Community Centre about DARE Plus.
  • I mainly want to respond to cardiac arrest: an SRFAC-accredited CPR (Hands-Only) + AED course.
  • I want broader household first aid: Standard First Aid with CPR-AED.
  • My employer, school, or regulator requires certification: ask for the required course title, then choose an accredited provider.
  • I work with infants or children: Child First Aid.
  • I am joining a workplace CERT: take the specific CERT-recognised course your organisation requires. Community RPP attendance alone may not meet that requirement.

Whichever route you take, pair training with local knowledge. Learn how to use an AED, find the devices near your home and workplace through AEDLocator, and check access and opening hours. In a real cardiac arrest, call 995, start CPR as instructed, and send someone for an AED. Our guide to what happens when you call 995 explains that workflow.

FAQ: emergency preparedness courses in Singapore

Can I still enrol in CEPP Tier 1, 2, or 3?

No. SCDF replaced the three-tier CEPP with the two-part Responders Plus Programme in 2024. Use the current RPP page for online learning and practical-session registration.

Is the Responders Plus Programme free?

Yes. SCDF states that RPP Online and RPP In-Person are free. The online component takes about 45 minutes, while the practical session takes four hours.

Does RPP provide a recognised first aid certificate for work?

Do not assume it does. RPP is a community preparedness programme. If your workplace or regulator requires certification, ask for the exact qualification and choose an appropriately accredited course.

Are all CPR and first aid courses SkillsFuture claimable?

No. Only eligible course listings shown in MySkillsFuture can use SkillsFuture Credit. Verify the exact course and intake before registering or paying.

How often should I refresh CPR and AED training?

Follow the validity period on your certificate and any employer or regulator requirement. Even before a certificate expires, short refresher practice is useful because compression technique and confidence fade when the skill is not used.