The first PUBLIC ACCESS DEFIBRILLATOR in Singapore’s HDB Estate was launched on the 17th January 2010 at Toa Payoh Lorong 7 Block 20. The very first publicily available AED was mounted in a white wall cabinet outside Blk 20′s lift lobby to allow members of the public to be able to access to the AED.
Security will not be an issue as several measures has been taken. For instance, the wall cabinet can only be opened by breaking a small glass to gain access to the key, which then can open the cabinet. There is also a loud alarm which will sound when the cabinet is opened, alerting the public that the AED has been accessed to.
This is a true milestone in Singapore and in the history of Public Access AED. Singapore First Aid Training Centre is also involved in this project – by training volunteers and staff to be fully equipped with the skills of performing CPR and using the AED.
This picture gallery includes an introduction by the Chairman of the AHE, Mr Wan as well as a short presentation by VIP for this event was MP Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Mdm Josephine Teo during this inaugural launch of the public access defibrillator AED in HDB estate.
Dear Readers, we at Singapore First Aid Training Centre is proud to inform you that we are now a “Instructor Training Centre for CPR plus AED (NRC)”
Only a certain few first aid training centres can provide this special course. Now, you can learn to train just like us in using using an AED.
So.. do look out for this up and coming course at our centre in the near future.
938 Live Interview with Abdul Rasheed Doad, Training Director of Singapore First Aid Training Centre. Listen to it now!
03/11/09 A matter of life and death
Every second counts in a medical emergency.
And basic knowledge in first aid, which includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR can help save precious lives.
However, the Singapore First Aid Training Centre says about 80 per cent of cardiac arrest victims who need CPR do not receive it.
As a result, the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest victims here is less than three per cent.
This is very low – considering their survival rate is 15 times better in the United States.
So why aren’t many Singaporeans receiving first aid at times when they need it most?
Shaffiq Alkhatib finds out.
TITLE: 03/11 First Aid
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Fifty-eight year old wellness coach, Ash Phua had a near-death experience ten years ago.
The fitness buff had just completed an evening jog near his home.
“I was staying at Pasir Ris at that time, and just opposite my flat is Seashell Park and they’ve got a 400-metre track. And to go up to the track, you’ve got to climb 76 steps. I did my warm-up, I did my main exercise. I think that day, I did 12 rounds which is 4.8 kilometers. But while walking down the steps, I felt a chill all over. After going down a few more steps, I felt giddy. I sat down on the steps and held on to the railing.”
Mr Phua says, he picked himself up and tried to make his way home.
But he collapsed near a traffic light, a stone’s throw away from his flat.
“I lost total consciousness. The next moment, I head a lady screaming, ‘Oi! Fifteen minutes already. When is your ambulance coming? This guy is dying on me.’ All I could do was just listen to her. I could not react, I could not do anything.”
He only regained consciousness in hospital.
A doctor told him that he had suffered his first heart attack.
He wouldn’t be alive if not for one Alice Poon who called the ambulance and an unknown man who performed CPR on him before the ambulance arrived.
“She happened to be in a cab with her son. While the taxi was approaching the traffic light, she told the driver, ‘I think a man is lying down there.’ And the taxi driver stopped. And according to her, while she was with me, she called the ambulance and there was a guy, some passer-by who came and the man did CPR on me. But he did not wait for the ambulance to come. She did not know who he was but he did that and he left.”
Mr Phua says his brush with death increased his awareness on the importance of learning simple first aid skills and CPR.
He is now trained in them and encourages others to do likewise.
Abdul Rasheed Doad, is the founder of the Singapore First Aid Training Centre.
“Statistics show that about 30 thousand people are trained each year. But we have a hunch that there is a lot more than 30 thousand. Our centre alone trains close to ten thousand a year, and there are a couple other centres around Singapore. Most of people who sign up for first aid courses here, they are either sent by their companies, or they need to do it because of requirements in their industries. For example, you are a coach, you need to have a first aid certificate. Less than two percent come to us on their own accord just to learn first aid for their own benefit or for their family’s benefit. In other countries, they actually do first aid training right from a very young age. Sometimes, even the education system embraces first aid training.”
Mr Abdul Rasheed hopes that schools would in future make learning first aid skills mandatory.
“Number one on the list is definitely CPR. Especially with our ageing population, people are more prone to getting cardiac arrest. Doing the Heimlich manoeuvre – helping someone who’s choking, which is very simple but is life-saving. Stopping bleeding and simple things like treating burns or bruises. Where we come from, a lot of people think that they should put some toothpaste on a burn, or put some soya sauce even – whereas, you can just treat burns with water.”
Mr Abdul Rasheed also highlights another problem; people who’ve been trained but won’t step forward in an emergency.
“People fear two things. One is stepping forward and helping. And the other is, they feel they are not the right person to help. Probably, they will just wait for the doctor or paramedic to arrive and help. Definitely, every one should know a little bit about first aid – at least the basics. Most importantly is to help them address their fears, because even though you have the skills, you might just freeze up and not act because emergencies can be scary. That must be addressed on a large scale.”
This can be done via outreach initiatives such as forums and talks, says Mr Abdul Rasheed.
For example, his centre conducted a course called “My True Hero” earlier this year which focused on encouraging first aiders to come forward to help in an emergency.
Participants who’ve attended the course have given it the thumbs up.
One of them’s, Mr Cheng who works in the construction industry,
He says the course has boosted his confidence and now he truly believes that he can save lives.
Do you have any questions regarding the latest CPR+AED guidelines?
Are there any CPR or AED related issues that you need to address?
Is there more information or clarification you need?
This is where you can post your questions and where we will post our responses to you related to the recent CPR+AED guidelines for layperson rescuers. You can also post training questions here.
Finally, the changes have been finalised! The latest CPR + AED guidelines have been released by the National Resuscitation Council, Singapore recently to our centre. The latest guidelines make peforming CPR and using the AED easier than ever before.
Below is a short extract taken from the full CPR+AED video:
Gain instant access and download to the FULL VIDEO now.
The first PUBLIC ACCESS DEFIBRILLATOR in Singapore’s HDB Estate was launched on the 15th March 2009 at Kim Keat Ave. The very first AED was mounted in a white wall cabinet outside the Adventist Home for the Elderly to allow both residents of the home as well as members of the public to be able to access to the AED.
Security will not be an issue as several measures has been taken. For instance, the wall cabinet can only be opened by breaking a small glass to gain access to the key, which then can open the cabinet. There is also a loud alarm which will sound when the cabinet is opened, alerting the residents and staff of the Adventist Home for the Elderly (AHE) that the AED has been accessed to.
This is a true milestone in Singapore and in the history of Public Access AED. Singapore First Aid Training Centre is also involved in this project – by training 12 ready volunteers and staff to be fully equipped with the skills of performing CPR and using the AED.
This clip includes an introduction by the Chairman of the AHE, Mr Wan as well as a short presentation by VIP for this event was MP Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Mdm Josephine Teo during this inaugural launch of the public access defibrillator AED in HDB estate.
In the third and final segment of his presentation, Mr Rasheed answers a few more questions on first aid and CPR, commonly asked by laypersons. There are also reviews by the audience as well as sharing of real first aid experiences by members of the audience – which further validates the need for everyone to know the basics of first aid. This part of the first aid presentation is approximately 5 minutes long and is a must watch to conclusion to this presentation.
On the 11th of March 2009, Singapore First Aid Training Centre’s Training Director Mr Abdul Rasheed Doad conducted a 15 minute presentation for BNI Renaissance, one of the most established business networking group in Singapore.
During his presentation, Mr Rasheed gave a quick introduction on both Singapore First Aid Training Centre and his own background. But more importantly, the presentation paid more focus to bringing forth the true essence and mission of first aid. It also answers some of the most commonly asked questions about performing first aid and CPR. This presentation is a MUST WATCH for all first aiders, CPR providers, AED trained personnel, healthcare staff, BCLS and ACLS practitioners.
In this post we have attached Part 1 out of 3. Be inspired~!
Singapore First Aid Training Centre was invited to be part of the AED Launch Ceremony for Adventist Home for the Elders on the 14th of March 2009 @ Blk 195 Kim Keat Avenue #01-314 Singapore 310195.
The event will be conducted at 195 Kim Keat Avenue. The Guest of Honour for this event is Mrs Josephine Teo, Member of Parliament for Bishan Toa Payoh GRC. Because of our contribution in training the staff of the Adventist Home for the Elders, Singapore First Aid Training Centre will be handed a token of appreciation given out by Mrs Josephine Teo on this day.
The AED Launch is a benchmark for AED implementation history in Singapore. The Chairman of Adventist Home for the Elders, Mr Wan Kwoong Weng was the brilliant mind behind this project. Mr Wan felt that it just made sense to have a public access AED to not only cater to the Home, but also to the neighbourhood and its surrounding.
Placing the AED in a wall mounted cabinet in a public place would allow the AED to be fully utilised in that area. “It just takes one life saved to make it all worthwhile,” says Mr Wan.
Singapore First Aid Training Centre has also participated in this initiative by providing the certified CPR+AED training to 12 volunteers and staff of the home. Conducted over 4 hours, the CPR+AED course is a fully accredited by the National Resuscitation Council and provides laypersons with the essential knowledge of CPR and how to use the Automated External Defibrillator. All the participants put in their best and completed the course successfully!
Finally, the future of AED implementation for public access looks bright in Singapore.
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