56 SBS Transit vehicles now equipped with AEDs; drivers get refresher training in first aid

SINGAPORE – SBS Transit bus captain Jiao Junli went above and beyond his job description and became a community responder when an elderly woman became unconscious on the bus he was driving on June 9, 2023.

While driving bus service 240 along Corporation Road, the 45-year-old had noticed a passenger performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the woman.

Mr Jiao stopped the bus and took over the CPR until the paramedics arrived and took the woman to the hospital.

Now, 53 public buses have onboard automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that can be used in such emergency situations under the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)-SBS Transit AED-on-Buses programme. It was launched at the Seletar Bus Depot in Yio Chu Kang Crescent on Nov 8.

SBS Transit (SBST) is the first bus company to join the AED-on-Buses programme, which is part of the AED-on-Wheels programme introduced in November 2015.

This is the seventh collaboration between SCDF and various organisations to equip private and public transport operators with AEDs sponsored by the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF).

AED-on-Buses is a critical component of the Save-A-Life Initiative by the SCDF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, SHF and the People’s Association. It promoted community first-responses to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases and increase the accessibility of AEDs.

Currently, 56 SBS Transit vehicles – 53 public buses and three patrol cars – have been equipped with AEDs.

Three bus services were chosen as their routes are used mostly by the elderly, and because they cover industrial areas, where not many AEDS are accessible, according to SBST.

Of the 53 buses, nine are on service 138, which operates between Ang Mo Kio and the Singapore Zoo; 17 are on service 268, which operates around Ang Mo Kio; and 27 are on service 851, which plies between Yishun and Bukit Merah. Over 100 bus captains are on the AED-on-Buses routes.

Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who was guest of honour at the launch,  said: “With this initiative, AED accessibility and coverage will be provided to 33,000 bus commuters daily.”

The AEDs can be used by SBS Transit bus captains or passengers to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims before SCDF paramedics arrive.

AED-on-Buses also enables members of the public, who are called community first responders, to be activated via the myResponder app, which also highlights the location of AEDs nearby.

According to the SHF, cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounted for 30.9 per cent of all deaths in Singapore in 2023.

This means that almost

one out of three deaths

in Singapore that year was due to heart diseases or stroke.

Statistics from the Singapore Myocardial Infarction Registry show that immediate CPR, combined with the use of an AED, can increase the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest victims by two to three times.

While all bus captains undergo CPR and AED training as part of their standard training, the 100 bus captains on the AED-on-Buses routes are taking a further four-hour refresher course.

Bus captain Wang Shaoxi, 36, drives buses on a few services, including the now AED-equipped service 138.

He said: “Think about how many buses there are on the roads in Singapore every day. This makes AEDs more accessible.”

Bus captain Xavier Santo Sam, 43, who drives service 268 buses, said: “While I have never performed CPR on an actual person before, with the CPR and AED training, I feel confident in doing so. If I encounter a person in need of help, I know what to do.”