Curtin VAD 57 shines at Inter-Unit First Aid Competition 2012

Miri – 23 July 2012 – The Malaysian Red Crescent Voluntary Aid Detachment 57 (VAD 57) of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) recently participated in the Inter- Unit First Aid Competition 2012 held at the headquarters of Malaysian Red Crescent, Miri Chapter. The team came in second and also grabbed the Best Quiz Bee Award in the competition.

Curtin VAD 57 was represented by Sham Zhen Dong, James Lee Yik Hon, Chua Sing Cheng, Kho Duh Guan, Chin Hua Lung and Tiong Toh Wei.

Other participating teams included overall winner SMK Chung Hua, SMK St. Joseph, SMK St. Columba, SMK Agama, SMK Luak and VAD 38.

The annual competition aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of Red Crescent members in first aid, as well as foster the spirit of sportsmanship and friendship among them.

The 3-day competition included a Quiz Bee, Community-based First Aid competition and First Aid Relay. The closing ceremony was officiated by Madam Chia Yip Lan, Assistant Officer-in-Charge of Training of Malaysian Red Crescent, Miri Chapter.

Sham, the team manager, commented that the team members gained valuable experience from the competition.

“Entering the competition for the three years in a row has helped enhance our first aid and practical knowledge. Even though our future careers might not be related to the medical field, the skills we gain from such competitions can be very useful, such as being able to save lives,” he remarked.

Team leader Lee, meanwhile, described the competition as a great opportunity to improve his first aid skills.

“As team leader, it is important for me to master all the first aid skills to enable me to train new members,” said Lee.

Chua said the team’s next target is to emerge as the overall champion while teammate Kho said he is proud to represent Curtin Sarawak in the competition. Meanwhile, Chin added that their daily training sessions on campus for three consecutive months have paid off and their comprehensive knowledge of first aid including handling incidents such as pressure sores, choking, malnutrition as well as fever in toddlers was very useful in the competition.

Tiong encourages other students to join the organisation. He further commented that VAD 57 has plans to organise more training for its members in the near future.

In the past, VAD 57 has organised Ambulance Service Training in collaboration with the Miri Hospital and an educational visit to the hospital to learn more about first aid and handling emergency cases.

For more information about VAD 57, visit its website at www.curtinrc.blogspot.com or email to curtinrc@gmail.com. VAD 57 also can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/281149306193/.

The Curtin Sarawak VAD 57 team posing with their trophies with Madam Chia (3rd right).