KUCHING: The state Fire and Rescue Department wants more funds to organise more school Fire Cadet courses.
Its director Khirudin Drahman said that the department had insufficient funds but still organised some courses in the past to make sure that students were given proper knowledge as they were potential future leaders.
“Hence, we will continue to strive for more allocations from the Finance Ministry so that we can organise more courses,” he said.
He hoped that through the courses, the cadets would develop proactive mindsets for facing challenging situations and not just be satisfied doing their usual co-curricular activities.
According to him, the knowledge that the cadets gain from the courses would remain with them right into their adulthood.
“After their schooling years, they will need their basic and leadership knowledge to face the real-world challenges,” said Khirudin while officiating at the closing ceremony of a fire platoon course and state-level school cadet and rescue commissioning at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Kuching.
The course, which took place over the weekend, inculcated the knowledge of survival, leadership, and teamwork in the participants.
Khirudin pointed out that the platoon course was in its third year since 2018. More than 100 students from schools in Kuching, Betong and Sibu took part in it.
After going through the three-day two-night course, 97 cadets from 14 high schools were accredited with the ranks of sergeant and staff sergeant.
“After this course, the cadets completed the first level in their organisation. What this means is that cadets must help whoever is in need; always follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs), be brave in rescuing someone no matter how small the injuries are, give guidance to their friends and families, and cadets must have discipline and high integrity in their daily lives,” he said.
Mohammad Nazmiezan Alfian from SMK Seri Setia was given the Best Male Cadet award, while the Best Female Cadet was Janet Jonathan from SMK St Theresa. Abang Irfan Ikhwan Abang Abdul Rahman from SMK Agama Tun Ahmad Zaidi was the Best Overall Cadet in the course.
