Getting to know a senior officer in SCDF
32 year-old LTA Foo is a Senior officer in SCDF and serves as a ROTA commander at Central Fire Station. I got to ask the passionate and friendly Lieutenant some questions during my visit to the station and found out more about him and his job.
What made you join?
“For me, it’s more of a passion. After graduating from poly, I joined the private sector as a lab technician for two years. The job is boring. Every day is a routine of research, tests and experiments. I felt no sense of achievement.
So one day, I went rock climbing with a group of friends and chanced upon this group of fire-fighters who are in the DART team in SCDF. So I spoke to them and they told me about their job. It than took me one year to decide to switch jobs because I was afraid initially. I did a lot of research on SCDF, on what they did and if it would suit me.
I think it was fate that triggered me to make the switch when I was walking past Central Fire Station and the alarms in the station rang. I saw the firemen shouting and sliding down the poles and left the station in unison.
I was stunned by the moment and realized this is what I am looking for. So I went back home, went online and registered to apply as a fire-fighter.
From there, I started my career. I became a Sergeant, went through courses and now I am a Lieutenant, serving as a ROTA commander.”
What are your hobbies and interests?
“I do running. I am a long distance runner and I do marathons. I also do rock climbing and cycling. I am more into land sports but I do an occasional dive whenever the season is here. My biggest interest is mountain climbing.”
Which tool is the most important for your job?
“All tools are important but if I had to only choose one, it would have to be the breathing apparatus. It allows us to breathe in extreme situations that allow us to carry on with our line of work.”
What is the most memorable experience?
“I rescued a family from a traffic incident. A mother and her 1 year-old child were in a taxi when the driver made an illegal U-turn and a big lorry rammed into the taxi. The Mum and the kid were trapped inside the vehicle. When I extracted the child from the taxi, she was crying very loudly and bleeding from the head. She clung onto me very tightly like a koala bear and didn’t want to let go. While my colleagues were tending to her mother, I had to accompany the child to the hospital in the ambulance because she refused to let go. At the hospital, the doctor had to tend to her injuries while she was still clinging tightly on me. It was only when her Dad arrived when she willingly let go.
I was worried for her and so I visited her the net day after work and amazingly she was fine but her mother who seemed to have only light injuries on the day itself was now in a another ward with multiple internal injuries. So I spoke to the Dad and gave them morale support and the great thing is that the mother eventually pulled through and I am now I am friends with the family.
One of the things that came to mind that time is that my job prevents broken families. Some accidents take away part of their family like a Mum, a Dad and others. Our job requires us to do our best to help them preserve their lives and to do this, we sometimes have to go all the way out.”
For a career that is both rewarding and fulfilling, join SCDF! Find out more about recruitment by heading down to their website at http://pea.to/scdf3.
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