WHEN I look back at my career in the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), it never fails to amaze me looking at how far I have come – this year marks my 34th year in the service.
In 1989, I made a life-changing decision in my career, going from the Public Works Department (JKR) to Bomba.
AT the time, I had several options – either becoming a Sarawak Administrative Officer (SAO), a 2nd Lieutenant in joint military or to continue with my job.
What attracted me to Bomba was the noble responsibilities and roles that these brave men and women shoulder. Mind you, it is not something easy as it revolves around people’s lives and safety.
I had the biggest shock of my life on Day One of training at Pusat Latihan Bomba Malaysia in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor.
For two weeks, our perseverance and toughness were put to the test before undergoing the firemanship training.
It was one of the most challenging times of my life and I must admit, I almost gave up. I have the highest respect for the training officers and instructors, who were determined to transform us trainees physically and mentally.
The Basic Fireman training lasted approximately 10 months for an attachment at BIGAER Station in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
This period required us to put our theory and practical knowledge to work where the concept of ASKED was emphasised.
We needed to build a positive attitude, inhived skills, improved knowledge, exposure, and good skills above having determination.
At the end of my training, I was selected and awarded the Best Overall Cadet Officer out of 44 others in Batch 2/89. This significant milestone made a very proud Sarawakian as my name was engraved in the academy’s Hall of Fame.
At 25, I was entrusted to be the head of Sibu Bomba in 1990. I was the youngest station head in Sarawak then.
This was another challenge for me as I was in charge of 101 firefighters, including veterans. Taking on this challenge required me to go for a reactive approach as the veterans needed some re-inculcation to change and move forward.
Change is inevitable, however, it is difficult to influence others to do so. I believe that changes need to happen in order to ensure our services remain relevant. It took five years to see the fruits from the changes that I was bringing, with Sibu Bomba being awarded Best Overall Fire Station in 1995.
Consequently, I was selected for Hazard Material Course (Hazmat) in Skovde, Sweden in 1994. Later in 1997, I was awarded a JICA Scholarship to undergo International Structure Fire Fighter in Japan.
Within 10 years of being in the service, I had undergone many courses to enhance the level of leadership and management. Fortunately, with my background in management, I passed these courses and trainings with flying colours.
Honestly speaking, I have a big appetite for learning and gaining new knowledge, so I decided to further my studies in Master of Science, majoring in Emergency Response Planning.
Sun Tzu once said, “Know yourself, know your enemy, know your terrain and victory belongs to you”.
This is apt when it comes to firefighting and various services that Bomba delivers to the public. As such, I hold it dearly when I took up the post as commandant of the Fire and Rescue Academy in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor.
My time as the training commandant was a turning point to the whole fire service in Malaysia. I decided to revamp and transform the training policy, facilities, and modules for the better.
Our training modules were recognised and endorsed by the Fire Service College in the United Kingdom. In fact, we began training trainees from countries like Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Maldives, among others.
The federal government through the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) allowed us to conduct Malaysia Technical Corporation Programme (MTCP) to third world countries, who have bilateral and economic agreement with Malaysia. These trainees were full of potential and some of them are now senior fire officers in their respective countries.
One of the best moments in my service was being invited and given recognition by the Croatian government. I had trained six of their fire officers, who are now fire chief and fire commander. This is one of the greatest satisfaction and motivation for me.
After over 20 years of serving in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, the stars aligned, and I was posted as Sarawak Bomba director in 2018. I personally believe that Sarawak Bomba was in dire need to remunerate and upgrade its services to the local communities – we cannot be seen as a department that is doing nothing.
This made me realise that a new approach was needed where I wanted Sarawak Bomba—its services, roles, and responsibilities—known and understood by Sarawakians. At the same time, I want Sarawakians to know their roles and responsibilities in fire safety and prevention.
An important matter that Bomba is gearing for is creating champions among the locals in the event of an emergency.
For this, we are focusing on the people in our fire safety programmes. We want the people to become owners of the programme by changing their mindset, that fire safety is their responsibility.
There is an urgency for Bomba to do all it can to create awareness and impart educational knowledge to ensure that Sarawakians are safe in any emergency. Ultimately, the goal is to build a resilient community so the people can be safe, and stay safe.
