SARATOK, Feb 29: SMK Saratok emerged overall champion in this year’s Sarawak Fire and Rescue (Bomba) Cadet competition for Zone 3 recently.
With this win, SMK Saratok will now advance to compete at state level in Kuching from March 9 to 13 this year.
Held at Saratok fire station, some 100 students from SMK Saratok, SMK BM Saratok, SMK Agama Saratok, MRSM Betong and SMK Melugu took part in the annual competition.
Sarawak Bomba zone 3 chief Nik Muhd Afiq Nik Roslan said Bomba Cadet was a good platform for students to learn certain skills, discipline, be courageous and unite as a team.
He described activities like the Bomba Cadet competition would provide the best avenue for students from different schools to enhance social interaction – enabling them to share their experience with one another.
“The implementation of fire cadets in schools is an appropriate step towards generating more comprehensive human capital and thus contributing to the success of fire science and fire safety.
“To achieve this goal, Bomba cadets were fostered through awareness of fire hazards and preventive measures. This sort of education will reduce the risk of fire not only in schools but in community.
“The role of Bomba cadets also help the department’s aim and mission to reduce fire statistics. As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure'”, Nik Muhd Afiq said.
Bomba cadets were also trained how to use fire extinguishers (APA) to assist in dousing early fires, which has proven to help in reducing losses of property value.
“For example, a 13-year-old teenager’s swift action rescued his longhouse from total destruction when a fire started in one of the kitchen at Nanga Lipus, Kanowit on Dec 15, 2019. He attended one of the fire education awareness programmes in his school,” Nik Muhd Afiq said, adding that the teen used APA to extinguished the fire which had spread to two doors (pintu).
Bomba cadets were taught certain skills and during the competition, they had to compete in dry drills, aspec challenges, knots and quizzes.
They were also made to showcase their skills, performances, team efforts, physical and mental strengths.
The programme is run by the Ministry of Education Malaysia in collaboration with the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia.—DayakDaily
