Three new fire stations ready this year By Fiqah Roslan

KOTA KINABALU: Three new fire stations will be completed this year in Kimanis, Pitas and Sook, with one more beginning construction in Putatan and scheduled for completion next year.

Fire stations in Sabah are of utmost importance to the Fire and Rescue Department, said its director-general Dato’ Sri Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim.

“When allocating a budget, building fire stations in Sabah and Sarawak is one of our priorities because we understand the geographical landscapes of these two States are widespread and therefore present a greater need for more stations.

“We conduct feasibility studies based on annual reports, which include risk analysis in certain areas. If it is high risk and far from existing stations, we will build a new one.

“Sabah and Sarawak are the two States with the most number of new fire stations in order for us to improve response time in cases of emergency,” he said.

Although there are only approximately 900 firefighters in Sabah, their quality makes up for the small number, said Wan Mohd Nor.

Emergency calls are transmitted and processed in one or two minutes, and a team is dispatched to arrive at the scene within 10 minutes.

However, he said the public must cooperate with the department by giving way to fire engines in traffic.

Motorists should stop their car and give way if possible, he said, to reduce response time and tend to emergencies more efficiently.

In light of the March 8 earthquake measuring 5.2 on the richter scale in Ranau, Wan Mohd Nor commended the Mountain Search and Rescue (MOSAR) team for their service and efficiency.

The team is one of the department’s most important features especially in Sabah, he said, especially with Mount Kinabalu as a prominent tourist attraction.

He said the department is looking to establish similar teams in West Malaysia, although a study must first be conducted to determine its efficacy.