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We refer to the letters regarding the food poisoning incident at One Raffles Quay ( , and , both on Aug 1). On July 30, SCDF received multiple calls for medical assistance from five different locations in the vicinity of One Raffles Quay. The callers reported severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The paramedics from the first few ambulances that arrived noted that at least 15 people had similar symptoms and the numbers were escalating quickly. Many were assessed to be serious as they also displayed symptoms such as low blood pressure and elevated heart rate. Their condition was assessed to be unstable. Given our paramedics’ on-site assessment, SCDF progressively dispatched two fire engines and additional ambulances to manage the incident. Twelve ambulances responded to the incident, and made 16 trips in all to and from the hospitals. SCDF paramedics set up a first-aid point to triage the affected people, and our firefighters helped with incident management. Victims with the most urgent needs received immediate care and were prioritised for urgent hospital conveyance via SCDF ambulances. Lower-acuity cases were conveyed in groups via SCDF’s alternative modes of transport, including a mass decontamination vehicle and SCDF minibus. SCDF conveyed 47 patients to four hospitals. We appreciate Mr Gabriel Chia Sit Loke’s concern regarding the use of emergency resources and would like to assure him that we had taken this into consideration. At the same time, we had to contend with the uncertainty of the situation, as there was a large and fast-rising number of affected people with severe symptoms. It was also not possible for our paramedics on the ground to know then whether the victims were suffering simply from food poisoning, or something more alarming. We decided to err on the side of caution, and for the sake of the victims. Despite this incident, SCDF was able to respond in a timely way to all the other high-acuity patients on that day. We thank Mr Chia and Mr Woon Wee Min for their letters, which underscored the importance of the readiness of SCDF to respond to emergencies and the need to prioritise our limited resources. Senior Director, Operations Department Singapore Civil Defence Force