BY ALLAN JAY & NURFARAHIN OKI
KUCHING: Members of the public are urged to help prevent fires during the forthcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, who made the call, said that when the community came together to celebrate, they must be responsible for fire safety.
“This needs to be taken seriously because fire prevention is very crucial. We must kill the fires before they kill us.
“Don’t wait until a fire happens and you ask why the firefighters come late (to the scene) or there is no water source and others.
“The first and immediate step is that the public must take responsibility and extinguish the fires before they get worse or prevent them from happening,” Dr Sim said when officiating the Fire Safety Campaign in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri at the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) headquarters today (Apr 4).
Dr Sim, who is also the Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, also expressed his gratitude to Sarawak Bomba for conducting fire safety campaigns during each festive season.
He pointed out that the fire safety and prevention campaigns were crucial because when the community were knowledgeable and trained, they would know what to do to prevent fires from causing more harm.
“When a fire happens, most people just “tengok saja”, stunned and do not know what to do.
“The department organised all these campaigns because they want you to have a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. They do not want you to have a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri that is not ‘selamat’ (safe),” he said.
Hence, he stressed that the community must improve their awareness about the causes of fires and how to prevent them.
Dr Sim also acknowledged that Sarawak would face more risks of bush fires in July or August if extreme weather conditions persisted.
“Normally, we have bush fires in July or August but this year, we have bush fires in the northern region in March. If it continues like this with extreme weathers, come July or August, we are going to be more at risk of bush fires,” he said.
During the fire safety campaign yesterday, Sim presented certificates of appreciation to local heroes who acted swiftly to extinguish fires, and presented awards for the best fire safety division for Bomba zones, fire stations and individuals for 2023.
Also present were Sarawak Bomba director Datuk Khirudin Drahman @ Hussaini, Sarawak Bomba deputy director Tiong Ling Hii, Sarawak Bomba assistant director of operations Henderi Ardimansyah and Sarawak Bomba assistant director of fire safety division Mohamad Fauzi Mohd Kifli.
