The principle of “charity begins at home” can also be applied to fire safety, as the State Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA Sarawak) has recognised in their efforts over the past five years. Their mission has been to create champions within the Sarawak community when it comes to fire safety.
Sarawak, despite being the largest state in Malaysia, only has 38 fire stations spread across seven zones. Given this limited number, it becomes impossible for the department to provide services within the target 10-minute response time.
To overcome this challenge, the director of BOMBA Sarawak, Datuk Khirudin Drahman, introduced the community fire brigade programme called BOMBA Komuniti. This programme has been successful, with over 188 teams and 2,138 members established to date.
“We introduced this programme to ensure that the community becomes an integral part of our 3P (precaution, protection, and prevention) approach. Fires usually start small, and the first five minutes are critical,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
“If the community can respond effectively with basic firefighting knowledge and equipment like portable fire extinguishers, it is sufficient as they can extinguish the fire before it spreads.
“The problem arises when they become mere spectators and only watch, as the most important thing during a fire is taking action to prevent its spread.”
Khirudin explained that BOMBA Komuniti is the easiest way to form a local fire brigade compared to the Pasukan BOMBA Sukarela (PBS) or auxiliary firefighter team, which requires registration with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and involves several processes.
Firefighters in action
“The objective of BOMBA Komuniti is to ensure that people become local champions. The members receive training, and we also incorporate our Celik SURI (Sedia Urus Risiko Isirumah) programme for women.”
“Women play equally important roles in fire safety. In many cases, we found that women are at home during fire incidents, but they panic and are unable to respond appropriately,” he said.
Reflecting on his arrival in Sarawak in 2018, Khirudin emphasised the importance of education among the five components of the department.
He mentioned that the BOMBA Komuniti programme, among others, has enabled the department to actively advocate and educate the community throughout Sarawak on fire safety.
“In Sarawak, we are fortunate that people are willing to learn and warmly welcome our personnel whenever we conduct or organise programmes with the community.”
“This is crucial because they are also playing a part in disseminating information to their respective communities, thereby assisting the state government,” he said.
Khirudin stated that the BOMBA Komuniti programme fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens bonds among community members, as they understand that fire safety is a shared responsibility.
Simultaneously, he mentioned that elected local representatives can contribute by allocating their Minor Rural Project (MRP) funding to support the community’s involvement in the BOMBA Komuniti programme.
“The support of elected local representatives is vital. The department is frequently asked, ‘When will we have a fire station in our area?’ However, there are various factors to consider, and operating a fire station is costly.”
“That is why we developed the BOMBA Komuniti programme, so we can educate and equip the local community with the necessary firefighting knowledge, enabling them to contribute better to the safety of their respective communities and protect their properties,” he concluded.
