By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, May 18: About 120 officers from Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Zone 1 and 30 orphans from Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Pendidikan Nur Murni got together to ‘break their fast’ at the Tabuan Jaya fire station recently.
It was organised by the Commonwealth Journalist Association (CJA) for the fifth consecutive year in collaboration with Bomba and Sarawak Energy Bhd.
Highlights of the gathering include the orphans receiving Bomba 3K activity books and ‘duit raya’.
Thanking the department staff and sponsors for supporting the event, CJA chairman Alice Wee said it was one of the ways where members of the public could thank the firefighters for their hard work and commitment in taking care of the community.
Among the corporate companies that chipped in were Sarawak Energy, DreamMaster Sleep Gallery, Tune Hotel Waterfront Kuching, Penview Hotel, Grand Continental Hotel, Grand Dormani Hotel, Hilton Kuching, Pertubuhan Wartawan Bebas Kuching (Pewarta), SERABAN and members of the public.
Meanwhile, state fire chief Khirudin Drahman said his office was honoured to be part of the community to organise such a charitable initiative.
“We do not want people to see firefighters as a ‘rescue’ agent, while we (firefighters) can also engage or advocate such programmes. All of our officers and firefighters will respond not just on fire, missing people or accidents. Instead, we are always ready to assist in any way, serve, lead and inspire others,” he said.
He added that corporations near and far also believed that giving back to the community was an important portion of a company’s responsibility as it does business.
“This is the beauty when government departments, non-governmental organisations, corporate companies and media can work and get together not just to celebrate a festive season but also to bring happiness to those who are less fortunate,” he remarked.
He opined that corporate social responsibility (CSR) was all about organisations embracing responsibility for the good of the environment, service users, employees, communities and other stakeholders.
Organisations that are committed to CSR proactively promote public interest by encouraging community growth and development and also voluntarily eliminating practices that might harm the public or the environment.
In short, Khirudin said CSR is the deliberate consideration of the wider impact of an organisation’s activities and taking positive steps to minimise the negative impacts and enhance the positive ones. — DayakDaily
