Dunman High Students, Alumnus & Teacher Worked With NSF To Save Man’s Life
A regular basketball match with friends on 2 Sep turned into a harrowing experience for a Singaporean man.
Mr Koh Aik Koon was playing basketball at Dunman High School when he suddenly collapsed.
Luckily for him, a group of quick-thinking individuals, including a few students, were there to save his life.
Collapsed with no pulse
Mr Koh was on his way back to the court from a restroom break when he suffered a heart attack and fell to the ground.
According to a report by The Straits Times, he stopped breathing and had no pulse by the time help arrived.
His teammates, Mr Ang Eng Choon, a teacher, and Mr Ken Teo Rong Jye, a Dunman High alumnus, promptly dialled 995 for help.
The pair had also brought an automated external defibrillator (AED) over, but needed someone who could perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Shouted for help from Dunman High students nearby
They shouted for help and alerted 18-year-old Ng Wen Ming, who was studying for her A Levels at the canteen nearby. She rushed over immediately to help.
Applying the CPR skills she had acquired from St John’s Brigade, Wen Ming assessed Mr Koh’s condition and carried out chest compression.
Meanwhile, 2 other students, Lim Qi Yang and Valerie Liau, helped Mr Ang and Mr Teo set up the AED, placing the defibrillator pads on Mr Koh and delivering a shock.
Regained consciousness before ambulance arrived
SGT Daniel Wong, an off-duty Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) NSF was on his way home in the area when he noticed an alert on his myResponder app.
He arrived at Dunman High School soon after to help with the subsequent three shocks of AED, and took over the CPR administration.
Fortunately, Mr Koh regained consciousness even before the SCDF ambulance arrived.
Student Zhang Yiying led the paramedics to Mr Koh, allowing them to efficiently give him the medical attention he needed.
Mr Koh thankful for Dunman High students’ help
Mr Koh expressed his profound gratitude to his “angels”, the heroes that saved his life.
“I need to thank them a lot, all the angels’ hands and their quick-thinking is the reason why I’m still here today.”
If not for these 7 individuals’ swift response and knowledge, Mr Koh might not have survived.
Heroes acknowledged for their efforts
COL Alan Toh, Commander of 2nd SCDF Division, presented Mr Teo, Mr Ang and the 3 students with the SCDF Community Lifesaver and Community First Responder Award.
SGT Daniel will be presented with the SCDF’s Service Excellence Award.
The colonel acknowledged the heroes, saying that “the collective effort of everyone stepping forward to render assistance led to a life being saved”.
Community has crucial part to play
In a Facebook post, SCDF said that Mr Koh’s story highlights how crucial the community’s first response is and shows the positive impact it can have in emergencies.
We hope that this story encourages you to learn lifesaving skills like CPR and AED. You can sign up at community centres that provide mass training and courses for such skills.
Featured image adapted from SCDF.
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