Labuan Fire and Rescue Dept HQ ready early next year
LABUAN: The RM40 million Labuan Fire and Rescue Department headquarters is scheduled to complete in January next year.
Labuan Fire and Rescue Department director Zainal Madasin said the building, spread over a 14-acre land in Ranca-Ranca, will have a stateof-the art fire station equipped with advanced safety equipment. The construction, under the 11th Malaysia Plan, commenced early this year and work has progressed by over 40 percent.
“The project is part of the construction of a total of 16 fire stations nationwide which has been approved for next year,” he said after making a visit to the site yesterday.
He said the headquarters would be equipped with an emergency operations room to cater to the fast-growing oil and gas industry within the high-risk Ranca-Ranca industrial zone.
“The project involves significant capital expenses and will certainly be a boost to rescue operations in this duty-free-island,” he said.
Zainal also said that a helicopter unit had been approved by the department’s headquarters and a suitable area is being identified.
“We are in discussions with Malaysia Airport Berhad (MAB) to be allocated a place for our helicopter. We hope the Labuan member of parliament will be able to assist us on this matter,” he said.
Zainal added the helicopter would assist in mercy flight operations for transfer of critical patients to hospitals in the mainland and also for search and rescue operations or to battle fires in isolated high-risk areas.