Branded
SCDF paramedics of 16 & 5 years of experience share what keeps them going
Definitely a life-changing job.
Not many of us will be able to describe our work as a calling.
However, 38-year-old Mohamed Fadly Bin Hairoddin and 29-year-old Benjamin Yeo are among the fortunate ones who have turned their calling into a meaningful career with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) as paramedics.
Fadly has dedicated 16 years to the Force, while Benjamin has served for five. Although their paths to becoming paramedics may have been different, both have risen through the ranks, maintaining strong dedication and passion for their profession.
Benjamin and Fadly (from left to right).
Their origin stories
For Fadly, losing his uncle in 2003 made him decide to join SCDF.
Not knowing what to do, he was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness when his uncle suffered from a cardiac arrest back then.
No one around knew CPR to provide immediate resuscitation.
His uncle, who was only in his thirties, passed away.
“This became my driving force. I decided to join the life-saving force myself to
render medical assistance to those in need during emergencies and understand what it means to be a paramedic,” Fadly shared with Mothership.
For Benjamin, he said he’s never been a studious type but a Higher Nitec in Paramedics & Emergency Care course piqued his interest when he was in the Institute of Technical Education. And he decided to give it a try.
As part of the course, he did an attachment with the SCDF. Mentors like Fadly guided him and made him decide to sign on with the Force.
“My mentors, who groomed or guided me, and the adrenaline rush I feel whenever I attend to medical cases made me grow to like the job,” Benjamin said.
At 21, when he was supposed to enlist for National Service, Benjamin signed on with SCDF by taking up their diploma sponsorship. After his full-time studies, he went straight into service.
Benjamin and his peers who passed out officially as paramedics in October 2020.
What kept them going
Both Fadly and Benjamin spent a relatively long time at the Force. What kept them going must have been more than just the initial motivations.
No prizes for guessing: the lives they’ve rescued, or attempted to rescue, along with the appreciation & gratitude from families of the patients, have made their SCDF experiences about more than just a job.
“Whatever we get to see and do are as real and raw as it gets,” Benjamin summarised. These experiences are “priceless” and hard to come by in other jobs.
Benjamin recalled delivering a baby for the first time in an ambulance when he was just 27. He remembered the suspense as everyone waited for the newborn's cry, and the relief that spread across the ambulance when the baby boy wailed loudly after being gently spanked on his butt.
Another piece of memory that stuck with him till today was how he attended to a man who suffered from cardiac arrest after having his dinner at home. Benjamin only realised the man’s wife was pregnant later on. The whole family was devastated, especially the wife.
“No single call is ever the same.”
For Fadly, what he was never prepared for was to rescue his secondary school friend one day.
Upon confirming the patient’s identity as that of his friend’s, Fadly said that his “knees felt like a jelly” and felt a wave of goosebumps, but he had maintained his composure.
Even though it was a 2am call and he was already very tired, Fadly kept doing CPR on his friend from Jurong to the National University Hospital, the nearest hospital back then.
Despite his best efforts, his friend passed away, and even today, he still feels emotional about this incident.
Another memorable case for Fadly was rescuing a one-month-old baby. Despite being resuscitated by him, the baby only survived for another week.
However, the parents were grateful to get to spend more time with their child thanks to Fadly’s rescue.
How their lives have changed
Besides saving and transforming lives, their lives and perspectives have changed after joining the Force.
Fadly furthered his studies and climbed the ranks over the years. Now, he is the Emergency Medical Services Overall-In-Charge at the Ang Mo Kio Fire Station, managing a fleet of ambulances and close to 60 personnel.
Fadly has never thought of becoming a leader. However, his mentors believed in him and gave him opportunities that helped nurture him into the leader he is today.
Fadly (left) as a Paramedic Trainee in 2012, with his mentor Warrant Officer Shahid Ahmad Bin Mohamed (right).
Fadly even has an Automated External Defibrillator in his car so that he can respond to calls for assistance notified through the myResponder app (an app created by SCDF to alert members of the public to nearby fires and medical cases). Saving life doesn’t stop after working hours for Fadly.
Naturally, he’s become an inspiration to his two daughters who are so proud of him as a paramedic.
Fadly and his family.
For Benjamin, the once mischievous and not quite studious boy has since graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science (Honours) Nursing under the Ministry of Home Affairs Study Award.
Like many Asian parents, Benjamin’s mum doesn’t give him much compliments but he knows she’s proud of him whenever she “low-key brags” to her friends about his occupation.
Benjamin and his mother.
Benjamin also learnt to cherish all the good things in life after being a paramedic.
“Because in our line of work, we know how life can be unpredictable ,” he added.
If you’re looking for a meaningful career that comes with progression, consider joining SCDF. For those who are willing to commit, you can receive up to S$30,000 of sign-on bonus. Find out more here.
Writing this piece of branded content by SCDF has deepened the writer’s respect for paramedics.
Top image courtesy of Benjamin Yeo.
