An assistant security manager wins S'pore National Kindness Award
Welcome to the Local Heroes series, where we highlight inspiring stories by people in Singapore who are using their skills to do good.
SINGAPORE – It is not easy to remain calm and collected in the face of a sudden life-or-death situation. It is even tougher to recall life-saving techniques during such stressful events to successfully lend a hand in saving someone.
Assistant Security Manager Mohamed Faizal bin Hamzah, 31, did exactly that when he was alerted about a man collapsing on the street near the hotel he was working in. Yahoo Lifestyle SEA understands more from the Singapore National Kindness Award awardee on what transpired, what kindness meant to him, and how we can incorporate kindness into our everyday lives.
“I had initially thought that he had fainted but soon realised that he was not breathing. To be honest, my instincts took over immediately, and I started to perform CPR. My only thought at that moment was that I needed to get him breathing again.”
Sometime in February 2020, Mohamed’s team was alerted about a member of the public who had collapsed on the street just outside Hotel G Singapore.
Trained in First Aid, Mohamed believes that the practice was embedded in him to ensure “the necessary actions to be taken” when faced with a collapsed individual.
Going above and beyond his duties, he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the passed out individual, which helped saved him. Staying with the man on the scene until the ambulance came, Mohamed ensured he was safe before resuming his duties.
As an Assistant Security Manager, Mohamed’s duties go beyond making sure the environment is safe and secure. Aiding in administering first aid and assisting authorities by providing information, he has also supported the hotel’s overall operations.
“The best part of my job is when I get to look back on incident-free days as it gives me tremendous satisfaction to know that preventive work has been done well. In the security industry, no news is good news,” he shared.
A people person, Mohamed had days where he had to be firm in his words, ensuring that his judgment is completely objective. He sometimes worry if his firm actions poorly reflected on him amongst his peers. However, the 31-year-old does not have to be overly concerned as his kind actions spoke louder than his words.
A colleague, who works as a room attendant in the hotel, was hit by stomach cramps and backaches while on shift. Volunteering the use of his personal vehicle to bring them to the hospital, Mohamed could safely transport said associate to the help they needed.
“Most people choose not to exhibit kindness in fear that there might be negative consequences or that they might look weak. I am lucky to be surrounded by people who are proud to showcase kindness, and I believe that it is therefore only right for me to reciprocate and extend the kindness that has been given to me over the years.”
When asked what kindness means to him, Mohamed shared that he believes kindness is everywhere, in everyone, and is an essential act of humanity. Thankful to be awarded the National Kindness Award, Mohamed shared that he is “truly humbled to be awarded” for his act of kindness.
Mohamed added that incorporating kindness into one’s everyday life can be simply “sharing an umbrella with a stranger during a heavy downpour, or buying a meal for someone can help someone out”. “I believe that we can start by removing the mindset of “minding our own business”. Even when times are tough, I always try to remind myself there is always someone who is needing more help than me,” he shared.
“I personally believe that the emotional reward of giving far outweighs the emotional reward of receiving.”
In its 26th year running, The National Kindness Award – Service Gold recognises outstanding service staff in the hospitality industry. It serves to highlight kind and gracious service delivered by both the front and backend staff. The award aims to inspire the recipients to continue to shine and influence their colleagues in contributing to a more pleasant and gracious society.
Other recipients of the award include Tan Min Hwa of Hotel G Singapore, who sacrificed her time off to take over colleagues' shifts; Mohammad Nurul Amin Mohsinul Azam of Conrad Centennial Singapore, who volunteered to be the point of contact for guests under quarantine; Lim Cheah Yi of Furama RiverFront, who went out of her way to provide guests whatever they need; and a special gracious guest category was awarded to two winners: Andrea Goh of Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa for participating actively in the resort's SHN programmes and Ho Eng Kiat Bernard of Mandarin Orchard, who continued to visit where possible to support the staff whom he treats as family.
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