KUCHING: The State Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA) is advocating for Sarawakians to have a smoke detector as part of fire safety measures in their homes.
BOMBA Sarawak director Datuk Khirudin Drahman stated that the small but mighty device can alert residents in the event of a house fire.
In the event of a fire, he said the smoke detector’s alarm will beep three times in a loud repeating pattern at 85 decibels which is extremely loud.
“Unfortunately, there is still an underlying mindset of ‘this will never happen to me’ among the society. This is very detrimental because it leads to negligence and when a fire occurs, the trend is they would panic, unable to think rationally and run upstairs or hide in a room.
“This is one of the factors that would lead them to being trapped and becoming victims. They would experience suffocation and then collapse,” he told New Sarawak Tribune today (Nov 15).
He disclosed that based on past operations, fire victims who died of suffocation are often intact but those involved in a big fire are often burnt.
Khirudin pointed out that there are five suppliers in the country supplying and selling smoke detectors that are certified by the Department of Standards Malaysia.
He said these suppliers are registered with the BOMBA and their smoke detectors utilise nine-volt battery that can last for a year.
He said a smoke detector costs between RM120 to RM160, small and as such installing it in the kitchen or living room is not an inconvenience.
“The smoke detector is very useful in giving warning or indication to help residents escape a fire safely.
“If we can splurge on a television that costs RM3,000 to RM4,000, we should be able to do the same for a smoke detector that costs much less compared to that.
“However, not many people see this as a priority even though it can significantly help one’s safety in the event of a fire,” he said.
Khirudin also reminded members of the public on the importance of knowing what to do in the event of a fire.
“If you are unable to put the fire by yourself or it is too big, please leave the premises or building immediately and call BOMBA. Get out and stay out, never reenter the premises or building,” he urged.
For the record, the department had received 301 calls for fire cases so far this year in comparison to 284 calls in 2021.
Out of these, 141 calls were for house fire followed by special structures (56), public storage (42), shops (38), hotels (eight), institutions (five), four respectively for factories and assembly points, and offices (three).
