Chingay / First Aid duties

Chingay 2007. Parade of dreams....

Chingay procession has been around in Singapore for many years, and in the past few years, it had process from a local event to an international one. Now, various cultural groups and organisations are invited to Singapore to perform in Chingay from around the world.

I got not much memories from Chingays in my past. All i know is that Chingays in the past consists of beautiful floats going around Singapore, and it always happen around CNY period.

For the past few years, i had been covering medical duty at Chingay. I cannot recall exactly which year did i started going for it. Chingay is always a messy affair, the coverage area is big, the road closures are a hassle for our ambulances... Its sometimes to me, the most messy duty of the duties covered.

Yesterday night is the Chingay preview. 2 cases of casualties. Both happens around my area. But what caught me unawares and pissed off is a lady.

The whole orchard road is closed off. All the way up to Plaza Singapura. What the lady wants (does not seem to be a local lady to me) is just to cross the road and go home. That's all she wants... as she had claimed. But due to the closure, no one can cross.

She came up to us, asking where is the underpass, and HP directed her to Orchard MRT station. (we were stationed at killney road). She got angry and started shouting at us. Appreantly, someone had directed her to walk down, and now, we are directing her to go back up.

In the end, we just shooed her off to the Cisco police officers, whereby she spend 15 minutes talking to a officer there.

Come on lah... WE ARE NOT THE ORGANISATOR, WE AIN'T A INFORMATION COUNTER!!! WE ARE JUST THERE TO PROVIDE MEDICAL COVER TO THE EVENT!!! SHOO OFF, ALL THOSE PPL LIKE HER!!! All she asking is where to get to a underpass. And we directed her to one, and she just flared up like that.

Other members of public did ask us about the crossing too. We told them in a nice manner, and ended up joking with the members of public. It was so unlike that damm lady... We know the constraints face by them, we are also facing the same constrains (there's a 7-11 just opposite us, but it might as well be miles away). Everyone is facing the same problems, and they can face it in a jovial manner, so, what's her problem, why can't she?

Macham like we can stop the whole procession just to let her cross the street....

HELL, We cannot stop the procession even just to sent a casualty across the street!!!

I hope this message goes out to all.

"ST JOHN AMBULANCE PRESENCE IN THE PUBLIC IS TO PROVIDE FIRST AID TO EVENTS. WE ARE NEVER THE ORGANISER, WE ARE NOT A INFORMATION COUNTER, AND WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT A LOST AND FOUND COUNTER!"

I mean, if you have any queries, i will be happy to help you to the best of my knowledge and ability, but bear in mind that we are not the organiser, we do not know everything. We only have a mission in the event, and that mission is to provide medical cover to the event, to the organiser.

Thank you.