Yew Tee Primary School students’ courage and swift action help save town council worker

SINGAPORE: A group of students from Yew Tee Primary School, all of whom are aged 11, have been commended for immediately springing into action recently upon seeing that a town council worker had collapsed due to cardiac arrest.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force told Stomp they had received a call for assistance on Feb 12 shortly before 2:00 pm at Block 567A Choa Chu Kang Street 52.

A worker said to be in his 30s fell all of a sudden to the ground. At the time, the group of four friends—Wu Jingen, Ji Qingyan, Ye Weining, and Lai Tianci— were at a playground nearby.

When they saw the man fall, they called for help right away. While still on the phone with emergency services, Ji administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until the arrival of paramedics.

CPR, which consists of manual chest compressions often performed alongside mouth-to-mouth ventilation, is crucial for a person’s recovery as it keeps oxygen-rich blood flowing to the brain and other organs. When the paramedics arrived on the scene, the town council worker was brought to Woodlands Health Campus.

Xin Ming Ji, who lives in the area, put up a post on the Friends of Yew Tee Facebook page applauding the four students.

“I would like to commend this group of four Yew Tee Primary School students for their quick thinking and initiative.

I was alerted via the MyResponder app about a suspected cardiac arrest case. When I arrived at the scene, I learned that these students were the ones who had called for paramedics. Their prompt action made a difference, and they truly deserve recognition for their responsibility and awareness,” he wrote.

Mothership added that Mr Xin had been about to get an automated external defibrillator (AED) nearby upon learning about what happened to the town council worker. However, the students told him that rescue services were already en route.

“I thought about the lives that were at stake. There was no time to be afraid in a life-or-death situation like this,” one of the students, Lai, said.

While Ye and Wu went off in search of someone to help, Ji stepped forward to perform CPR. Fortunately, the worker responded to it shortly afterward.

Commenters on Mr Xin’s post also applauded the children.

“Great job students. Continue to spread your love and kindness,” wrote one.

Another commenter said that the students were recognized during assembly on Feb 13. /TISG

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