27,260 firefighters ready to be deployed in flood rescue operations
SOME 27,260 personnel of the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM).
Auxiliary Firefighters Force and Volunteer Fire and Rescue Force nationwide are on standby to be deployed in flood rescue operations.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said all state level JBPMs were also instructed to activate their flood operations room starting Nov 1 and they were required to update flood information twice daily in flood hit areas.
“JBPM is 100 per cent prepared in terms of personnel strength, vehicles or machinery and logistics assets comprising the provision of marine vehicles, land vehicles as well as aircraft that can be mobilised at any time.
“The SCUBA unit is also ready with a strength of 554 personnel nationwide,” he said during the question- and- answer session at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here yesterday.
He was replying to a question from Anuar Abd Manap ( BNSekijang) who wanted to know the department’s level of preparedness in facing flood risk challenges during the monsoon season currently affecting several states and the rescue efforts being implemented.
Noh said state JBPMs were also asked to ensure all rescue equipment and vehicles were in tip-top condition and could be utilised besides identifying early the areas at risks of floods, landslides and locations of flood evacuation centres.
The state JBPMs were also required to make surveys and formulate strategies to enable rescue works to be implemented smoothly and effectively.
On the role of the community in facing the floods, Noh said the preparations entailed three stages, namely before, during and after the floods while the people must listen to the instructions given by the rescue team personnel.
He said the authorities in the states also needed to be firm in taking action to ensure every development project implemented at the state level did not cause disasters such as landslides and floods. Noh was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali (BN-Bagan Serai) on development projects that could be the factor causing floods and other natural disasters. — Bernama