Dept chief hopes to see more fire posts in Sibu

SIBU: Sibu Zone Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) chief Abdul Mutalib Rashid hopes that the fire posts would be make available at a number of strategic locations here soon.

He pointed out that such facility would be handy in the event of an incident during rush hours.

“I hope there would be fire posts at certain locations, which would facilitate the response time (to incidents occurring) during peak hours,” he told reporters here on Friday night.

It is known that in Kuching, the department has set up four fire posts across the city’s outskirts – one each at Samajaya, Batu Kawah, Kota Sentosa and Taman Malihah (off Jalan Matang).

According to Bomba director-general Datuk Wira Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim, the fire posts in Kuching – set up on Jan 15 this year – would be operational from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

“In Sarawak, as a start, the department is placing four fire posts,” Wan Mohd Nor said in his speech during the annual assembly at Bomba headquarters in Kuching recently, where his text of speech was read by the department’s state director Nor Hisham Mohammad.

Wan Mohd Nor had said that the new concept – introduced in Peninsular Malaysia in the middle of last year – would include stationing fire engines and firefighting personnel at strategic locations across major urban areas, which would enable the rescuers to act faster and more efficient than previously.

It is learned that in Peninsular Malaysia, eight fire posts have been set up so far – three each in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and one each in Bandar Hilir Melaka and Putrajaya.

It is also said that the fire-post initiative is part of Bomba’s key performance indicators (KPI) towards reducing further the average response time.