LTA Janice Lee (former SSGT; first from the right) with the ambulance crew who provided emergency support to DPM Heng Swee Keat in 2016.
You would have read or heard the news media coverage on Lieutenant Janice Lee. She was an SCDF paramedic then who was part of the four-member ambulance crew commended by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for providing professional medical intervention on Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat when he collapsed during a Cabinet meeting in 2016.
This year, Janice was part of the graduating batch of SCDF officer cadets who have successfully completed the Rota Commander Course (RCC), an eight-month SCDF’s Fire and Rescue Commanders’ course and will be posted to the fire stations as shift/Rota commanders.
Rescue 995 engaged the freshly minted Rota Commander Lieutenant (LTA) Janice Lee in an exclusive interview. She first joined SCDF in 2009 as a paramedic at Central Fire Station, holding the rank of Senior Staff Sergeant (SSGT).
Rescue 995: Congratulations on graduating from the RCC and being appointed as a Rota Commander. Having been a paramedic with the Force for over a decade, what made you decide to become a Senior Officer in the Fire and Rescue track?
LTA Janice: I wanted a more wholesome experience in my career. This stemmed from incidents that I turned out to with the firefighters such as large-scale fire incidents and major road traffic accidents, where I saw them at work to rescue or extricate patients before bringing them to me, a paramedic then. By becoming a Fire and Rescue Officer, I am able to master more life saving skills as well as better appreciate the different functions and operations within the Force. Above all, as a former paramedic, I am able to combine my knowledge and skills in emergency medical services with the rigours of fire and rescue operations to further enhance my service delivery as a lifesaver.
LTA Janice Lee receiving her new rank at the RCC closing ceremony in June 2020.
Rescue 995: The RCC Closing Ceremony was a closed-door event this year due to the pandemic. How do you feel about the ceremony?
LTA Janice: My fellow graduands and I were actually looking forward to the typical ceremonial RRC dining-in and passing out parade (POP) but we soon learned that there would only be a closing ceremony this year due to COVID-19. Naturally, we were a little disappointed. Nonetheless, we understand that this is a difficult period for all due to the pandemic. Moreover, our parents who are due to attend the dining-in and POP are not young. Many are in their sixties. Therefore, it would be risky for these elderly parents to turn up for the events. Notwithstanding this, it was a happy and memorable closing ceremony and what I found most heart-warming about the ceremony was the screening of a video montage of our family members and loved ones congratulating us in graduating from the RCC. And this thoughtful initiative came from our very own instructors. That was such a nice gesture and I am really appreciative of it.
Rescue 995: What do you like most about being a member of The Life Saving Force?
LTA Janice: It is a meaningful career as it gives me a sense of accomplishment whenever victims are rescued or when patients are doing well after they are treated. I can feel their genuine appreciation for what we have done for them. Moreover, this career has exposed me to things that I never thought I would be able to experience or do. It has made my life so fulfilling.