BY LEE SHAW WEI
KUCHING: Thirty-five auxiliary firefighters and 10 Swift Water Rescue Team (SWART) personnel were honoured during a ceremony at the state Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) headquarters here yesterday.
Bomba director Datuk Khirudin Drahman, who officiated at the ceremony, said the group would be assigned to various fire and rescue stations across Sarawak.
“The auxiliary firefighters will be stationed at Asajaya, Bintangor, Daro, Kapit, Saratok, Serian, Sibu Jaya, Siburan, Song, Mukah and Tanjung Manis stations whereas the 10 SWART auxiliary firefighters, who will work based on an on-call basis, will be stationed at Tabuan Jaya and Petra Jaya stations.
“This can enhance our capabilities in community service involving Pasukan Bomba Bantuan (PBB-auxiliary) to help fill and also expand the capabilities of our assets as well as human capital within the department.
“Those selected are made up of members of the local community. They will help us in most operations and improve our services to the people,” he said.
He said the 10-day training course provided by the department included physical tests, basic firefighting and rescue methods, and management skills.
“These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to training. They will continue to be trained throughout their time in Bomba,” he added.
It is learnt that during the 10-day course, which is a requirement for the auxiliary firefighters to go through, they were trained to understand common terminologies of the department and stations.
“The course is sufficient for the trainees to know the basic equipment knowledge used by the department,” said Khirudin.
Ceazer Jack Edward Epson emerged as the best trainee while Muhammad Akmal Hakim Jabri was the best practical trainee. The best theoretical trainee was Mohamad Nezori Hamid.
