By Nancy Nais
SRI AMAN, Feb 25: Community involvement, a sense of responsibility and some knowledge of fire safety and prevention must be instilled, especially to those living in the rural areas, Sri Aman Resident Datuk Indit Bangai said.
Due to the vastness of Sarawak, Indit stressed that for a rural fire station to respond in minutes to an emergency is almost impossible.
“Therefore, the existence of volunteers and cooperation of the community is very important in fighting fires.
“These people can help in terms of response time and most importantly, the community gets help earlier before the arrival of firefighters,” Indit said at the ‘Bomba Hero’ certificate presentation today.
Seven individuals were awarded for their fast thinking and bravery in three separate fire incidents this year, involving two longhouses and a grocery shop, saving some RM6.3 million in property.
On Jan 28, Jutie Salang (29), Mathew Libau Alin (27) and Bayang Not (42) saved their longhouse 26-door Rh Ben Bali, Tapang Ujan in Ulu Ibus Saratok from being razed to the ground by using three fire extinguishers.
The cause of fire was electrical overload from an extension wire in one of the rooms.
In Betong, two longhouse residents Welfred Tura (53) and Micheal Jone Simion’s (65) quick thinking prevented their 28-door Rh Seruai in Kampung Baru Spaoh from facing the same fate on Jan 30 with the use of four fire extinguishers.
Over in Sri Aman, two workers from Family W shop, Muhd Irsan Manshorshah (19) and Alvinzeanno Alanzie (19) quickly grabbed an extinguisher each when they saw smoke on Feb 4.
Lauding Bomba Sarawak under the leadership of its state director Datuk Khirudin Drahman for actively advocating the community to be involved in fire safety programmes, Indit said it has shown positive results and impact based on these success stories.
He hoped that Bomba Sarawak will continue to advocate and educate the people, from young to old.
“However, I would like to emphasised that fire safety is a responsibility that must be equally shouldered between Bomba and the people.
“This is not a one-man (Bomba) show or responsibility. The people are equally obligated to and though this mindset, they can keep their communities and properties safe,” Indit added.
While he appreciated the ‘heroes’ for their unselfish act, Khirudin reminded the public that the first five minutes are the most critical in responding to any emergency.
“Regardless if it is a fire, accident, drowning and so on, if a person can act rationally and feel for others, he or she can save lives and properties. Instead of taking photos or videos and uploading them to social media for personal satisfaction, these seven men acted swiftly to curb fires, and this is what we want.
“That is why we conduct various initiatives to develop champions, not just among our own fire officers, but also within the local community the fire station serves,” he said.
Assuring their commitment for the betterment of the people in Sarawak, Khirudin added that keeping everyone safe is a top priority and public safety is their paramount duty, and the department will continue to provide and operate multiple public education programmes.
While there is still a lot to be done to change the mindset and attitude of the people, he believed Bomba Sarawak can do it through knowledge and awareness.
“Our various public programmes such as Bomba Community, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Summer Camp, Suri Sedia Urus Risiko Isirumah (Suri) and Children Fire Safety Club (3K Club) strives to provide effective fire safety education and positive community role models.
“The Learn Not to Burn programme under the 3K Club is also designed to show young children in pre-school how to prevent fires, respond to emergencies and not to play with fire. Our fire stations are open for children and parents to tour and experience,” Khirudin said. — DayakDaily
