Holiday or no holiday, a rescuer’s work is 24/7. Such was the life of a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer who thought nothing of saving a child in need last weekend, even though he was celebrating Hari Raya with his family.
Off-duty SCDF personnel Senior Warrant Officer (SWO) Hasanudin shot to viral fame last Sunday after he executed a rescue operation all by himself. His son, Fique Fiq had recounted on Facebook how his family first noticed a hullaballoo at a carpark while visiting relatives for Hari Raya.
Alas, the situation was suitably dire — a child had accidentally locked himself in a lorry. SWO Hasanudin’s instincts kicked in.
“My dad, being a fire officer, went over to provide assistance,” wrote Fique Fiq. “He didn’t jump in straight away. Rather, he observed from far to assess the situation before coming up with the best solution to tackle the problem without causing too much physical damage to the lorry.”
His father leapt into action, clambering on top of the lorry and prying the door open. The child was soon freed and safely returned into the arms of his parents. We’d like to think that SWO Hasanudin’s family celebrated the heroic act with some sparklers — but got stopped by the firefighter because it was a fire hazard.
