Special signboards to help lost jungle trekkers in Cameron Highlands
KUANTAN: The Cameron Highlands Fire and Rescue Station, with the cooperation of Cameron Highlands Forest Office, has taken the initiative to put up special signboards along critical jungle trails to enable jungle trekkers and mountain climbers who lost their way to give their locations to the search and rescue team.
Officer-in-charge of the Cameron Highland Fire and Rescue station Muhammad Haziq said 13 of the special signboards were put up since September last year, and the result, only one case of lost climber was reported in Mt Irau, compared to five cases reported last year.
“The signboards were put up at locations where most trekkers and climbers would get lost or injured.
“Each signboard contains the telephone numbers and emails of the Cameron Highland Fire and Rescue station and Forest Office, as well as the latitude and longitude information that could be given immediately to the search and rescue team.
“We chose red to make it easily spotted and the total cost of the initiative was only RM686,” he told Bernama recently.
Elaborating, Muhamad Haziq said the innitiative had also won an innovation award in the Hybrid category at the 2017 Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department Innovation Day celebration recently.
“Now, we are planning to put up similar signboards on Mt Brinchang and probably at other popular mountain and jungle trails in Pahang,” he added. — Bernama