Seven heroes receive SCDF honour for saving lives

Four who helped revive jogger who suffered cardiac arrest among award recipients

Mr Vincent Lim (fourth from left), who collapsed while jogging, with the men who rushed to attend to him (from left) Mr Del Moro Dennis Ranido, Mr Loy Kwong Choy, Mr Mohammad Azhar Abdullah Sani and Mr Mohamad Noriman Bahtiar at the 4th SCDF Division
Mr Vincent Lim (fourth from left), who collapsed while jogging, with the men who rushed to attend to him (from left) Mr Del Moro Dennis Ranido, Mr Loy Kwong Choy, Mr Mohammad Azhar Abdullah Sani and Mr Mohamad Noriman Bahtiar at the 4th SCDF Division Headquarters in Bukit Batok. PHOTOS: SCDF

Mr Loy Kwong Choy, an aerospace product trainer, was jogging at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on May 30 when he saw a fellow jogger, Mr Vincent Lim, collapse on the track.

When he found that Mr Lim was not breathing, Mr Loy quickly performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.

Two lifeguards - Mr Mohammad Azhar Abdullah Sani, 36, and Mr Mohamad Noriman Bahtiar, 32 - heard shouts for help from a group of people who had gathered around the victim. They rushed over to join Mr Loy, 58, in the rescue.

Another lifeguard, Mr Del Moro Dennis Ranido, 33, came over as well to prepare a bag valve mask, which is used to provide ventilation to people facing breathing difficulties. Meanwhile, the lifeguard team at the stadium called an ambulance.

The man, who is in his 60s, was revived before the ambulance arrived. He had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

For their heroic act, the four rescuers were among seven people presented with the Community Lifesaver Award by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) last Tuesday at the 4th SCDF Division Headquarters in Bukit Batok.

"It was my first time rescuing and performing CPR on someone, so I definitely felt nervous," said Mr Noriman, who is the newest member of the lifeguard team at Choa Chu Kang Stadium. "I'd like to thank my seniors, Mr Azhar and Mr Dennis, who took control of the situation - it made me feel more confident in myself."

Mr Andrew Chua, 52, an SMRT station manager, encountered a similar incident on March 26 when a man collapsed from cardiac arrest at Woodlands MRT station.

Mr Sheh Yusof Mohamed Shaus, who is a member of an emergency response team with a private company, rushed over to help after getting an alert on the SCDF myResponder app.

The two men, who were among the award recipients last Tuesday, performed CPR on the man and revived him before the ambulance arrived.

"I would advise people to take up first aid courses to get themselves trained and prepared, so that they can help someone if the need arises," said Mr Chua.

Mr Muhammad Nasiruddin Md Khalid, another award recipient, was playing with his two young children at home in Bukit Batok East Avenue 3 on June 10 when he smelled something burning.

The 32-year-old security shift officer looked outside his flat and spotted smoke and fire coming out of a unit one floor above. He alerted his wife and they rushed to the unit. They knocked on the windows, which were hot to the touch, and noticed a man lying unconscious on the floor inside the house.

Mr Nasiruddin went back to his unit to get a wet cloth, calling the ambulance as he ran. When he came back, he covered his mouth with the cloth and went inside the burning house to save the victim.

He dragged the man, believed to be in his late 30s, to the front door.

Mr Nasiruddin's father-in-law, who lives with the family and had come to the unit, helped him with the rescue before the ambulance arrived.

"People who are not trained for emergencies often space out when these incidents happen," said Mr Nasiruddin, who received training at work to respond to such situations. "I feel that everyone should have a fire extinguisher at home, as well as adequate training for these emergencies."

Assistant Commissioner Yazid Abdullah, director of the SCDF's Volunteer and Community Partnership Department, said: "I would like to encourage everyone to learn life-saving skills and download the myResponder app and register as a community first responder.

"When cardiac arrest cases are reported, you can help by quickly responding to perform CPR and administering an automated external defibrillator. Such quick response can make a crucial difference in the lives of others."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 20, 2021, with the headline Seven heroes receive SCDF honour for saving lives. Subscribe