A routine call for assistance takes a turn for the worse, with an elderly man’s life in the balance.
By: Christabelle Lim
The first incident report read: “CASE OF POLICE ASSISTANCE REQUIRED. CAME ACROSS ONE SUBJECT WHO LOST HIS WAY.”
Changi Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) officers Sergeant (Sgt) Ayden Goh and Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) Sgt Nick Koh were on patrol that afternoon.
Thirty minutes after they’d attended to the call and resumed their patrol, Sgt Nick was drenched in sweat while Sgt Ayden carried deep feelings of concern for the elderly man they’d just attended to. We caught up with them to find out what happened!
Police Assistance Required
Sgt Neo Geng Quan was on counter duty at Changi NPC when a member of the public alerted him to a man sitting at a nearby housing block with his shirt lifted to his chest. Sgt Neo immediately informed Sgt Ayden and Sgt (V) Nick, who were nearby. The two officers decided to proceed on foot to the bench where the man was sitting on.
I’m Just Trying to Get Home
The elderly man explained to the officers that he was having trouble breathing, and had sat on the bench to catch his breath. He spoke slowly and had difficulty stringing his words together.
Sgt Ayden and Sgt (V) Nick managed to establish the man’s name and home address. Apparently, “Uncle Prem”, as the officers called him, had just been discharged from the hospital and didn’t have a phone with him.
Given these circumstances, the officers knew they couldn’t leave Uncle Prem alone, without his family knowing if he was okay.
“Uncle, Uncle, Are You Okay?”
The elderly man became increasingly breathless and suddenly collapsed. Sgt (V) Nick quickly rushed to help Sgt Ayden lay the elderly man on the ground.
The officers’ training and instincts kicked in. Sgt (V) Nick dropped to his knees and checked Uncle Prem’s vitals. He wasn’t breathing. As the elderly man wasn’t responsive to their calls, Sgt (V) Nick followed his first-aid training and commenced Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
Incident Routed to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
CALLER NAME: SGT AYDEN.
INCIDENT LOCATION: BLOCK NUMBER: 246.
STREET NAME: SIMEI STREET 5.
LOCATION REMARKS: VOID DECK.
INCIDENT TEXT: SUBJECT FELL UNCONSCIOUS. RESOURCE PERFORMING CPR.
After two minutes of CPR, Sgt (V) Nick had done over 200 compressions, but there was still no response from Uncle Prem. Sgt (V) Nick knew that the first six minutes of a cardiac arrest were crucial for CPR to be performed in order for the victim to have a chance of survival. He continued to press on.
Inspector (Insp) Mohamat Sallim Juni and his partner, Special Constable (SC)/Sgt Muhammad Nur Danish Bin Noor Sahlan, had also arrived on the scene. Insp Sallim reported the facts to the Police Operations Command Centre while Sgt Ayden and SC/Sgt Danish ran to the lift lobby of the block to retrieve an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Working together with SC/Sgt Danish, Sgt Ayden cut open Uncle Prem’s shirt and pasted the electrode pads of the AED onto his chest. Coordinating with Sgt (V) Nick on compressions, the trio switched between CPR and using the AED. Still, there was still no response from Uncle Prem.
SCDF Ambulance Arrives
The SCDF paramedics assessed Uncle Prem’s vital signs and prepared to convey him to Changi General Hospital (CGH), taking over CPR from Sgt (V) Nick. It was only then that Sgt (V) Nick realised he was drenched in perspiration.
The officers were concerned about Uncle Prem, and hoped that they’d done what they could to help. As Team Leader, Insp Sallim knew that Uncle Prem’s condition would be on the minds of his officers. After his shift, he went to CGH to check on his condition.
Uncle Prem was conscious! He was in the intensive care ward but was in a stable condition.
All’s Well that Ends Well
Recounting the incident to Police Life, it was evident the events of that day had greatly impacted the officers. As Sgt Ayden reflected, “the public has high expectations of us as Police officers. In situations when people need help, they usually turn to the Police. We do what we’re trained for. Every life matters.”
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