November 29, 12:37 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 Did you know that there are 1,900 cardiac arrests in Singapore yearly?
Imagine the big difference it would make if help can be rendered early when a heart attack occurs.
Friday saw the launch of a new programme that could make this happen — SMRT-Temasek Cares AED on Wheels — by NTUC Secretary General and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing.
In this three-year pilot, 100 SMRT taxis have been installed with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) — electronic devices that help to restart a person's heart, in the event that it stops.
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Posted by Chan Chun Sing on Friday, November 27, 2015
How will this programme work?
These 100 drivers will be alerted by a mobile application from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) if they are within a 1.5-km radius of a cardiac arrest incident.
They aim to reach the destination within three minutes.
The current response time of the SCDF is 11 minutes, 80 per cent of the time, according to Ng Yih Yng, Chief Medical Officer of SCDF.
These 100 drivers with hearts of gold volunteered and underwent a four-hour certification course with the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF). They learnt CPR techniques and are trained in the use of the AED.
Taxi driver Simon Ngiam, 45, is one of the 100 volunteers for the pilot project. At his urging, his taxi buddies are all part of the pilot programme.
In fact, the response to the pilot programme was overwhelming, with more than 120 taxi drivers volunteering to help within two months.
The programme is a joint initiative with SMRT Taxis, Temasek Cares, SHF, SCDF, National Fire and Civil Emergency Preparedness Council (NFEC) and the National Taxi Association (NTA).
Temasek Cares has provided a grant of S$376,500 to support the programme.
Do your part, taxi passengers.
Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes) accounted for 29.9% of all deaths in Singapore last year.
If you happen to be one of the passengers in these 100 SMRT taxis in the next three years, give your taxi driver a pat on the back for volunteering to be a first responder.