KUCHING: Thirty-six (36) newly-commissioned auxiliary firefighters will be reporting for duty at the Batu Niah and Selangau fire and rescue stations (BBP) effective July 21.
Eighteen firefighters will be stationed at Batu Niah BBP while the remaining will be stationed at Selangau BBP.
State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Khirudin Drahman said with these additions, the quality of service would improve, especially in terms of response time.
“Auxiliary firefighters are relevant and practical in terms of operating cost. This is due to the geographical shapes and distances of cities and towns that are far from each other.
“The development of the country in line with the current modernisation has seen increased economic risks with increasing population and premises.
“This situation has caused the effectiveness of response time, not achieved because the distribution and the number of members of the existing fire and rescue team is insufficient,” he said.
The commissioning ceremony was graced by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian at Bomba headquarters, Jalan Setia Raja here.
Dr Sim praised the launching of the first mountain cave search and rescue (Mocsar) team in Mulu last Sunday, saying it was important, especially with Sarawak moving forward with its ecotourism in which caves and mountains would play a key role in attracting tourists to Sarawak.
“When they visit, they can be assured that if anything happens, we have the expertise (to deal with it). We do not want our local people to just tengok saja (stay on the sidelines) and don’t know what to do in an emergency.
“Apart from that, educating people about fire safety should be continued because it is very important. When a fire occurs, it can be stopped by someone who has the basic knowledge but if everyone acquires the same knowledge, such an incident would not happen in the first place,” he said.
He also acknowledged the importance of Bomba during the Covid-19 pandemic “where they do not just distribute food to those affected but also help to disinfect places and making them safe for everyone”.
The ceremony also saw award presentations for best firefighters in theory, practical and overall — Mohammad Fauzi Johny, Mohd Izwan Denan and Alexson Balam James Kam.
