From left of the stage: CPL Jeremy Chua, Mr Adam Idris Lim Wei, Dr Shalini Arulanandam, Mr Rex Ang Jia Jie, SGT Chong Guan Seng, and AC Abdul Razak.
On 8th May 2019, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) organised the Civil Defence (CD) Lionhearter Forum at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to highlight its partnership with the community of youthful volunteers.
The CD Lionhearter Forum is a platform for volunteers from the CD Lionhearter Clubs, National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC), and Civil Defence Auxiliary unit (CDAU) to share their experiences, and to learn from the experiences of Community First Responders (CFRs) in responding to emergencies.
This year, the Forum was conducted in the form of a talk show, hosted by AC Abdul Razak, Director of Corporate Communications Department (CCD). The panel included LTC (Dr) Shalini Arulanandam, Chief Medical Officer, and four prolific CFRs.
Speaking at the panel, CPL Jeremy Chua Han Xiang, a member of the Taman Jurong Community Emergency and Engagement (C2E) Committee, recalled a time when he first responded to an emergency case, saying that he was nervous due to his lack of experience when performing CPR on the victim and may have broken some ribs during the process.
In response, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shalini Arulanandam said that up to one third of patients who have CPR performed on them may end up with some broken ribs, and extensive studies have shown that none of the cases with broken ribs have ever caused serious injury to the patient. On the contrary, Dr Arulanandam warned that if no CPR was performed, there will be zero chance of survival for any victim.
Community First Responder (CFR), Mr Rex Ang Jia Jie, responded to more than 20 myResponder app notifications. He carries a trauma bag wherever he goes and will not leave home without it. He said that this helps him to be prepared for any emergency incident that he responds to. So far, Rex has responded to both medical related cases and fire incidents on the myResponder app.
Sharing his views on the myResponder mobile app, SGT Chong Guan Seng, a volunteer with the Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit (CDAU) said that the app can bring huge benefits to victims during an emergency. He cited an example in which the family members of a cardiac arrest victim were panic and did not know how to perform the CPR on the victim before the ambulance arrived. Hence, with no CPR done within a 4-minute time frame, the victim may suffer brain injury or even die.
“When family members panic, they do not know what to do next, even though there is a medical dispatcher who is on the line with them. So that’s when the myResponder app comes in. This is when we step out of our comfort zone, move swiftly to the victims at their location, and start to render help before the ambulance arrives,” says SGT Chong.
Mr Adam Idris Lim Wei, another CDAU volunteer, shared that his national service experience gave him the inspiration and passion to help those in need during an emergency.
Introducing Our Community First Responders
CPL Jeremy Chua
CPL Jeremy Chua is an SCDF Full-Time National Serviceman currently serving as a Staff Assistant for HQ NCDCC. He volunteers as a grassroots leader during his free time, and he is a member of the Taman Jurong Community Emergency and Engagement (C2E) Committee, that oversees the overall Emergency Preparedness plan in the constituency. As a trained first aider for community events and the Team Principal of the youth Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), CPL Jeremy Chua dedicates his time responding to emergencies. He has responded to more than 20 incidents since the myResponder app was first launched. He has also been to medical related cases, fire incidents and road traffic accidents.
Mr Rex Ang Jia Jie
Mr Rex Ang Jia Jie, a nursing student at Parkway College of Nursing and Allied Health, has also responded to more than 20 myResponder app notifications.
SGT Chong Guan Seng
SGT Chong Guan Seng, a volunteer with the Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit (CDAU), currently works as an administrator and a DARE facilitator, imparting lifesaving skills to members of public at the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s Unit for Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (UPEC).
Mr Adam Idris Lim Wei
Mr Adam Idris Lim Wei is a member of the Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit (CDAU) and the President of the SUTD Civil Defence Lionhearter Club. He joined the Club after serving his National Service (NS) as a Section Commander at Yishun Fire Station. He shared that his NS experience made him realise how much of an impact a bystander could have on a victim’s survival during an emergency.