WO2 (NS) Moey Andrew’s passion for rescue work has led him to different life-saving encounters.
TEXT: ROY SIM
PHOTOS: WO2 (NS) MOEY ANDREW
Creativity is an attribute that isn’t readily associated with saving others. But from his experiences at SCDF,
WO2 (NS) Moey Andrew knows that being able to think out of the box can sometimes make or break a life-saving mission. “As trained personnel, we are often confronted with situations that challenge us to combine different rescue techniques to execute our missions,” the 2018 Home Team NSMan of the Year shares. For example, during a training simulation in Thailand, WO2 (NS) Moey was tasked to assist an ‘injured’ party who had fallen off the side of a mountainous cliff. “As the terrain was uneven, we could not just lower ourselves down — we had to be creative with how we strategically angled our ropes to keep both rescuer and casualty safe.”
As WO2 (NS) Moey tells Frontline, his rescue work doesn’t end with each reservist cycle. In fact, he goes out of his way to volunteer for overseas training stints that are independent of his ORNS commitments. “I’ve gone to Thailand to train in mountain rescues, which involved high-altitude camping, as well as tree- and rock-climbing. Because of Singapore’s landscape, local training has always been more about firefighting and urban rescue,” explains the 34-year-old, who works as a condominium manager. These skills came in handy when WO2 (NS) Moey participated in overseas missions such as Operation Lionheart.
I’m currently serving as the NS Company Sergeant Major (CSM) for Company B of the 42 Rescue Unit at Tuas View Fire Station. I have to interact with a diverse pool of NSmen, who each bring their own unique experiences and expertise to the team. I’ve learnt that everyone has a part to play in emergency situations, whether you’re a firefighter, medic or rescue specialist. We work as a team and every member’s contribution is valuable.
It was during a leadership exercise in Brunei. My group’s first task was to cross a wide river. This is a skill that we had not been formally taught before, so we had to adapt our other skills to the situation. This element of creativity got me really interested in rescue work. Thus, I am fascinated by rescue work and I hope to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering, so that I can become a rescue engineer.
I was an Emergency Rescue Specialist during NS and got a call for a suicide rescue in the early morning. A woman was sitting on the ledge of her apartment and looked like she would jump off the building at any time. My section was the first to arrive and we quickly rushed to her unit, ready to help her. Meanwhile, the section at the ground floor was deploying a life pack (a type of airbag) directly under where the lady was perched. The lady suddenly fell off the ledge but fortunately, the life pack had been deployed and she survived without injuries.
Operation Lionheart is the SCDF’s standby contingent that is always ready to provide search and rescue assistance to countries afflicted by major disasters. To date, it has participated in 18 overseas missions.
