If you asked me what I’d be doing with my life in my 20s, I had never imagined myself ever saying: “I want to protect and save lives as a frontliner.”

Yet, I found that this is something I am deeply passionate about as I served my National Service in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). My time spent training has taught me many things about discipline and perseverance, which were essential qualities to have due to the rigorous demands of my job.

Today, I serve as a section commander in a fire station for the SCDF. In light of the news surrounding recent fires and also firefighters who have previously lost their lives in the field, I found it fitting to share my perspective as a Christian in the position of a frontline emergency responder.

The making of a firefighter

The journey to becoming a firefighter certainly isn’t an easy one. You are expected to be in peak physical fitness and to have impeccable mental fortitude. There’s no room for mistakes in an emergency, which explains why our training is always so intense. It prepares us for realistic situations where we are expected to be competent in operations and the roles that we’ve been assigned to. 

I recall an instance in my training where my officer shouted at our entire batch during a simulated fire drill. My section had already put out the simulated fire and was thoroughly exhausted. The Conducting Officer then gave an injection (a new development in the simulation exercise) that the fire had reignited and spread to an area where there were more casualties.

We all wanted to give up but our officer shouted, “Hurry up! Set up a jet! Suppress the fire! Rescue the casualties!” We were immediately driven to complete the task at hand once the casualties were mentioned. We were trained to urgently rescue any casualty as if they were our own family or friends. That’s our profession, and that’s what we owe to the public.

The will to persevere in the most tiring situations when thinking of loved ones made me reflect: is this how Jesus felt as He carried the cross to Calvary?

The Saviour of my soul bore it all — the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual pain — and had me in His heart as He hung on that cross.

This reflection moulded my heart and taught me to lay my life down to love others like how Jesus has done for me! If my God loved His disciples to the very end, so should I in my day-to-day duty.

And I do this because God has given me a heart to care for the people and community here in Singapore. 

Adjusting to a new lifestyle

Being posted out as a Fire and Rescue Specialist to a fire station was a completely different lifestyle. We work a 24-hour shift in a rotation (ROTA) where anything can happen. Once the fire alarm sounds, we only have one minute to stop whatever we may be doing (yes, even showering!) to leave the station and reach the location within eight minutes.

The mood can go from chill to very serious on a dime, and we must be ready for any type of turnout: Fire, Rescue, HazMat, Cardiac Arrest, etc. 

In my early stages of being posted to a fire station, I had to observe more because I was less experienced. One thing I witnessed that really stayed with me, was a road traffic accident where a car crashed into a pillar.

As we arrived at the scene, I saw that the person in the driver’s seat was in extreme pain. Instinctively, I wanted to pull her out of the seat so she could get immediate medical attention, but my supervisor stopped me and asked me to assess the situation.

I then realised that the dashboard of the car had been smashed into the driver’s legs and she couldn’t get out. That called for a different approach. We had to use different rescue tools to spread, cut and lift the frame and dashboard of the car in order to get her out safely.

If I had tried to pull her out, it would only have caused more pain. I was struck by another revelation: is this how God feels as He rescues people? He desires to rescue people as quickly as possible because the Gospel message is urgent to those who are perishing.

But even in the midst of that urgency, He is gentle and careful as He sees every situation that people are in and He devises a unique rescue plan for them. 

This made me reflect on how similar saving lives and saving souls are.

While I need to hold a sense of urgency for the Gospel, I also need to be conscious and thoughtful of the situation that people are in, so that I can understand how to best bring the Gospel to them. Rescue is always urgent, but it must also be strategic.

The life I chose: Being a lifesaver

After getting used to the routine of shift work and the physical demands of my job, I began to become more involved in commanding frontline operations.

That allowed me to witness various cases and also a fair share of people being rescued from medical and situational emergencies. All of them shared a deep sense of relief whenever SCDF arrived at the scene of the emergency.

When people are rescued, the gratefulness and elation on their faces… you have to see it to understand. 

We do our best to serve the people and the nation by being ever-ready and vigilant. Even when the general public may be enjoying holidays, we will be on standby in our fire stations.

Occasionally, I don’t get to enjoy public holidays with my loved ones, but I still consider it an honour to serve the community. Because if I’m not going to make that sacrifice to watch and be ready, who will? Who will stand in the gap in the event of an emergency? 

Serving the nation on public holidays made me realise that for our everyday life to go on as we know it, someone somewhere has to make unseen sacrifices.

There are a lot of unseen people that form the backbone of our society, but we tend to forget and not be grateful that we are where we are because of what another person has sowed. 

Ultimately, I learnt that the giving of yourself is so rewarding because it’s God who multiplies what you reap, not your circumstances.

And this experience and journey as a lifesaver, though costly and demanding, was an extremely rewarding way to serve God by seeking the welfare of this nation (Jeremiah 29:7).

My experience as a frontliner has given me insights into God’s heart when He gave up His Son in the pursuit of rescuing humanity.

What drove Jesus as He bore the cross was a deep love for people, and being like Him looks like laying our lives down to serve the people God has placed in our lives.

May the Holy Spirit give us the courage and urgency to bring the Gospel to our friends, as well as the wisdom and discernment we need to lead the person to Christ!

I hope this article blesses you with new insights on a faith-filled job as a frontliner and inspires you to seek God’s heart over the craft of your hands!