Call made on Putrajaya to consider building more fire stations in Sarawak

Uggah beats the drum to mark the launch of fire safety awareness campaign. On his right is Khirudin. — Photo by Lim How Pim

KUCHING (May 31): Putrajaya needs to consider building more fire stations in Sarawak, given its geographical challenges and also its size, which is almost as large as Peninsular Malaysia.

In pointing this out, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas says at the moment, there are 38 fire stations across Sarawak.

“In comparison, there are over 200 (fire stations) in the whole of Peninsular Malaysia.

“We will ask the relevant ministry in Kuala Lumpur to consider setting up more fire stations in Sarawak,” he said in launching a ‘Gawai 2022 Fire Safety Awareness Campaign’ at the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Sarawak headquarters here yesterday.

Uggah, who is also the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, said it was also equally important to train more Bomba volunteers to empower local communities in terms of knowing and being able to take the appropriate actions during times of disasters.

In relation to this, he said there were some fire incidents that had been prevented from turning into major disasters – thanks to the swift action taken by the local community.

“Long time ago, in the 1980s, I was about to go to a longhouse that had caught fire.

“At the time, the folks lacked training and understanding, and so, the 24-unit wooden longhouse was destroyed in 30 minutes.

“I believe that the impact from the fire could have been reduced if there were Bomba volunteers back then.”

Uggah also reminded the communities in Sarawak, especially those in the rural and remote areas, to always heed the advice and guidance given by Bomba to reduce the risks of fires.

As an example, he advised every household to have a working fire extinguisher at home and also to install fire prevention device in the longhouse.

In reinforcing his advice, Uggah said he was impressed by the grandchild of Bomba Sarawak director Datu Khirudin Drahman.

“The toddler questioned why matches were not kept in the right place.

“This is the kind of awareness that we need,” he said.

Earlier, Khirudin had said that his three-year-old grandchild asked why matches were simply being placed on the table.

“My grandchild even said ‘it’s risky’ to leave the matches there just like that.

“This is because we have created awareness. I’d never stop parents from bringing their children to fire stations for a visit, as this can raise better awareness of fire safety among the young children,” he said.

Khirudin also said Bomba would continue to carry out engagement activities to educate the public about fire safety, adding: “We want to see you before the fire, not after.”

from Borneo Post Online https://ift.tt/oZsUC3N
via IFTTT