KUCHING, May 11: Member of Parliament for Bandar Kuching Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen lamented that the issue of fire hydrants at SMK Bandar Kuching No. 1 has not been resolved since the school caught fire in 2008.
In a statement, Dr Yii said that he is in contact with Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying to help facilitate a solution for this matter.
Dr Yii elaborated that they are finding out the cost to build and equip these areas with fire hydrants.
“We will contribute as much as we can to ensure we have addressed this issue and provide hydrants for safety of staff, teachers and students,” he said.
He revealed he recently visited the school and the site that caught fire with the purpose of better understanding the issue and finding ways to help the school.
He said that currently there are no fire hydrants in the school as it is an old school.
“The building was built before the “requirements for fire hydrant” was enforced,” he disclosed.
“We are glad no one was hurt during the fire as it happened in a storage room at the back of the school.
“However, we must properly address the core issue which is the availability of fire hydrants in the school,” he said, adding although they are glad there were no casualties in the fire, the issue still needs to be resolved urgently to ensure it does not happen again.
He was accompanied on the visit by Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong.
Meanwhile, during a recent visit to Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Ong Tiang Swee, Dr Yii allocated RM5,000 for the school to run activities and had a chance to listen to issues that were faced by teachers and students.
As a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health (MOH), he also reminded students of the school to take extra care and take precautions during the current hot spell.
Dr Yii opined that it is important to limit their outdoor activities to avoid being exposed to high temperatures.
He urged students of the school to stay hydrated and to seek treatment immediately if they exhibit symptoms of heat stroke.
“The teachers at the school told me that they are grateful they could wear sports attire during this hot weather,” he said. — DayakDaily
