Two lauded by SCDF for quick responses that saved lives, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Two lauded by SCDF for quick responses that saved lives

This article is more than 12 months old

They win Community Lifesaver Awards for public-spiritedness

If not for their quick-thinking, two cardiac arrest victims may not have made it to 2019.

At a presentation ceremony yesterday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) presented Community Lifesaver Awards to two individuals - Ms Chiu Yu Cheng and Mr Patrick Cheong - in recognition of "their public-spiritedness and gallant efforts in saving lives".

The Community Lifesaver Awards recognise Community First Responders (CFRs) - members of the public trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR - and applaud their willingness to step up to help.

Both Ms Chiu, 22, and Mr Cheong, 46, were alerted to cardiac arrests through the SCDF myResponder mobile app.

Launched in April 2015, myResponder notifies CFRs to cardiac arrests happening in their immediate area and points to the locations of the nearest automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

By involving the community, victims of cardiac arrest can get essential aid before the emergency services arrive.

On Nov 5 last year, Ms Chiu, a final-year nursing student at the National University of Singapore, was about to go on an evening jog with her boyfriend at Pasir Ris Street 71 when she was notified of an incident.

She rushed to the scene, and saw a man in his 60s unconscious on the floor.

She said: "Some bystanders were already there and trying to help but they were not sure of how to operate the AED. So I took over the CPR process."

Ms Chiu performed CPR for four to five minutes. The AED was also used before paramedics arrived.

"I was very pleased that the victim regained his pulse," said Ms Chiu.

Mr Cheong, a salesperson, was with his three children at home a few days after Christmas when he received the alert about an incident in the block across from his home in Bedok North. He rushed to the location and grabbed an AED on the way.

He found the victim, a man in his 50s, unconscious on a staircase landing between the sixth and seventh storeys.

Mr Cheong said: "His father was in a panic, tapping and pushing him for a response."

He applied the AED and started performing CPR. Three minutes later, he got a response. By then, paramedics arrived.

According to SCDF, more than 2,300 Singaporeans suffer from cardiac arrest each year and 97 per cent do not survive.

COMMUNITY ISSUES