Mr Tam shared, “I was nominated by the Fire Services Department, in which I am now serving, for the Hong Kong Volunteer Award 2023 jointly organised by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Agency for Volunteer Service. I was awarded the Heroic Volunteer Award.

One day in July 2022 when the COVID-19 epidemic was raging, I happened to see a panic-stricken woman (later known to be the victim’s wife) applying medicated oil on a man outside Tat Sin House, Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate when I was off duty. I approached them to see what was going on and discovered that the man was unconscious. Since he didn’t breathe and had no pulse, I immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him. I remembered that in the first two minutes of CPR, the man did not show any improvement at all. He eventually began to breathe weakly when the second cycle of CPR was performed. He was then sent to hospital for treatment. I was pleased to learn later that the man recovered and was discharged from hospital.

I would like to share this experience with everyone to highlight the importance of timely CPR and defibrillation, as every minute of delay could reduce the survival rate of a cardiac arrest patient by 7 to 10%. If you see somebody suffering from cardiac arrest, act immediately. Don’t hesitate and don’t give up easily. Even without any medical equipment, a life can be saved.”