Nor Hisham: Rise in number of Bomba student cadets benefits schools
SANTUBONG: The increase in the number of Fire and Rescue Department ( Bomba) student cadets augurs well for schools, which wi l l have a pool of exemplary student leaders who have the know-how in the event of an emergency.
According to Bomba Sarawak director Nor Hisham Mohammad, the department has seen an increase in the number of its student cadets to 7,146 this year – up from 5,493 last year.
“Having the knowledge on how to react during a fire is vital, especially when Sarawak recorded a total of eight fire cases involving schools last year.
“Recently, a fi re broke out at a hostel room of a school in Serian. It was fortunate that the fire was swiftly put out by the teachers, school staff and students,” he spoke at the closing of a ‘Platoon Leader Course’ held here yesterday.
The four- day, three-night camp provided 59 cadets from schools in Kuching and Kota Samarahan the opportunity to learn and prove their leadership skills.
Nor Hisham said the knowledge that the cadets gained from the camp would have a longer-term impact as they spent the whole day discussing Bomba- related matters, compared with the oneor two-hour sessions conducted by the department at schools.
Meanwhile, each cadet at the camp was presented with the rank of ‘ Sergeant’ in recognition of their commitment, discipline and differential characteristics.
“To the cadets, having a rank means so much to them as it proves that their leadership skills are recognised,” said Nor Hisham.
On another note, Nor Hisham also praised the parent- teacher associations ( PTAs) from the eight schools for their pledge of sponsoring 40 cadets to take part in a national Bomba competition in Kedah later this year.
“I hope that the cadets would show good commitment and try to make Sarawak the winner of the competition,” he said.
Also present was SMK Kuching High principal Tan Kiang Tuang, who extended his gratitude to Bomba and all those involved on behalf of the 13 schools, which sent their participants to the course.