The Singapore Fire Service (SFS) (present-day Civil Defence Force), the Armed Forces and the police all assisted in the rescue operation. Passers-by and nearby residents also joined in, helping to clear the rubble and pull out survivors. SAF medical officers and MOH doctors present took turns to crawl through narrow spaces inside the rubble to try and provide assistance to trapped survivors, giving glucose and saline drips to them. At first, power saws and drills were used to cut through the rubble and reach survivors; however the use of heavy machinery posed a risk to people trapped under the rubble. 