FIRE DEPT HAS S.O.P FOR EMERGENCIES

Procedures will be based on water condition and risk, says official

APART from two general standard operating procedures (SOP), namely surface water and dive rescue, the Fire and Rescue Department Water Rescue Unit (PPDA) has other special SOP based on water condition and risk.

Fire and Rescue Department deputy director (operations) Datuk Amer Yusof said an incident commander (IC) would first assess the situation and pre-plan a rescue operation.

“In the planning phase, IC will assess the risk, study the water depth and rescue techniques.

“All angles will be taken into consideration before choosing the right techniques.

“There are two main SOPs — surface water rescue and dive rescue — but there are other special SOP to handle certain situations based on water conditions,” he said yesterday.

He said the six divers, killed when rescuing a drowned teenager at a weir in Taman Putra Perdana, Puchong, early this month, had conducted rescue operation at a similar location earlier this year.

“It is not only the SOP.

“It is also related to risk study and pre-planning during the operation.

“But I want to stress that PPDA members are well-trained.

“They can handle various risks and situations.

“They are professionals. “Whether they follow the SOP depends on the outcome of the investigation by the investigation committee.”