Walking the talk
In February, in Singapore, prior to the commencement of the Red Cross Youth’s First Aid Gold Modular Workshop at Compassvale Secondary School Youth Volunteer Instructors Low Yu Ping and Tracy Koh received a notification on Singapore Civil Defence Force’s “My Responder” app indicating there was a casualty at a block.
Even though it was merely half an hour before the arrival of the cadets, Yu Ping and Tracy rose to the occasion, accepted the notification and raced over to the casualty’s home.
“Upon arrival, we saw an ambulance near the lobby. We went up to the fifth floor and saw three paramedics in the apartment. That was when we saw an unconscious uncle lying on the floor. Tracy and I then asked the paramedics how we could help them. With the help of two ladies, I spoke to the casualty’s daughter on the phone and I took down her father’s medical history.
The paramedics then asked us if we knew cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). I did CPR compressions for the casualty continuously for about five to 10 minutes while Tracy reassured the woman whom she was speaking to. Meanwhile, the paramedic was monitoring the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) signals and inserting a ventilation device through the casualty’s mouth,” shared Yu Ping.
The paramedics then placed the casualty on the stretcher and sent him to the nearest hospital. About an hour or two after the incident, they received a call from the paramedics that the casualty survived.
That experience won Yu Ping and Tracy the “Public Spiritedness Award” by Singapore Civil Defence Force and confirm strongly their commitment in the Red Cross.
