Fortitude Beyond Pride and Care

Meet SGT1(V) Koh Yi Hui, 29, a Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit (CDAU) officer, who was one of the recipients of the SCDF’s Pride and Care Star Award 2020. The annual award recognizes SCDF personnel who have performed beyond their call of duty and displayed the core values of “Pride” in their work and “Care” for the community.

Rescue 995 engaged SGT1 (V) Koh, a full-time medical officer at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), for an exclusive interview.

Rescue 995: Why did you volunteer with the CDAU?

SGT1(V) Koh: I joined the CDAU in 2014 during the first year of my medical studies at the National University of Singapore. Joining the CDAU has given me the opportunity to gain more exposure to handle on-site emergencies with casualty management. This frontline operational experience enriches my profession as a medical officer at KTPH.

Rescue 995: What was one memorable incident you have responded to as a CDAU volunteer?

SGT1(V) Koh: My team and I responded to a call for a cardiac arrest case. Upon our arrival at the apartment, we saw a large-sized man slumped beside the toilet seat. Immediately, we checked for his pulse, and when there was no response, we pulled him out of the bathroom and started the resuscitation protocol.

At first, I was confident that the incident would be smooth sailing because of my prior experiences in resuscitating patients in the hospital. However, this experience showed me that handling emergency situations as an ambulance crew or a paramedic is very different from that of the hospital setting.

Rescue 995: What is most important to you as an SCDF volunteer officer with the CDAU?

SGT1(V) Koh: As a volunteer officer with the CDAU, it is important to be adaptable but to remain focus and not lose your composure. On one incident you could be saving a life, and on the next, you could be handling multiple casualties of a road traffic accident.  Every tour of duty can be filled with excitement and challenges but above all, it is very fulfilling for the sheer joy of helping someone in distress is priceless. Just seeing a smile on someone’s face, be it the patient or his/her next-of-kin makes it all worthwhile for me.