Choppers to spot bush, forest fires
KOTA KINABALU: The Fire and Rescue Department is using helicopters to identify the locations of bush and forest fires, especially in the interior areas of the state.
Its state director, Nordin Pauzi, said they would first identify an area that is on fire by looking at images from satellites.
“We will then send our teams to the location to better identify how serious the fire is and what is being burnt.
“We have also been using Bambi Bucket from the air to control the situation but it is not an easy task as one thinks as a lot of calculations and strategies must be made to be effective,” he said yesterday.
According to Nordin, the use of Bambi Bucket is not an easy task as they need good sources of water.
The method is only effective for crown fire and tall trees while the method is not really effective for deep seated fire, he said.
Nordin reminded the public not to carry out open burning during the dry spell due to the El-Nino phenomenon.
He said the department had received a total of 1,279 distress calls on open burning cases since January until March this year.
“This month alone (until March 16), we have received a total of 550 distress calls on cases of open burning,” he said.
According to Nordin, about 188 distress calls on open burning were received in January while 541 distress calls were received in February.
“Due to the dry spell that we are experiencing now, which will last until end of this month or early April, I would like to remind the public not to carry out any open burning, either to burn rubbish, clean their farms or gardens.
“Even if you are present to monitor the f lame, a small spark can cause a huge fire which can run out of control,” he said.