Fitter, faster for fires, emergencies
Each day, the Fire and Rescue Department responds to more than 320 fire and rescue calls nationwide.
Last year alone, the quick action of firefighters managed to save some RM6.67bil worth of property from fires nationwide.
In an interview in conjunction with national-level International Firefighters Day celebrations taking place in Pahang tomorrow, the department's director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad talks about its role and the challenges especially in tackling major disasters such as the recent inferno at Putra Heights in Subang Jaya, Selangor.
(Left) Fire and Rescue personnel evacuating an injured victim on a stretcher as the fire rages after the April 1 Putra Heights gas pipeline explosion. — Filephotos
He also shares his vision on the department's core duties of saving lives, carrying out rescue operations, fighting fires, smart partnership with the private sector, and use of artificial intelligence in firefighting.
StarMetro: What are some of the challenging disasters that the department has seen in the last five years in Malaysia?
Nor Hisham: In the past five years, we have had some major floods and disaster incidents such as the major floods which killed 14 people in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam (Selangor) in 2021, the Batang Kali (also in Selangor) landslide in 2022 which killed 31 people including 13 children, and the recent Putra Heights case where many were injured.
During the 2021 floods that also affected Pahang, Negri Sembilan and Johor, even my home in Kuala Langat was inundated with 1.8m floodwaters for eight days.
Investigations for the Putra Heights incident is still ongoing but this case has highlighted the need for us to always be alert and ready to be mobilised to help rescue and save lives.
A fireman rescuing a resident during the fire at Putra Heights in Selangor on April 1.
Although no lives were lost in Putra Heights, there were major property losses. How many were injured, and what is the estimated loss?
It was initially difficult to get accurate numbers because some victims only sought treatment several days later.
According to the Health Ministry, 150 people sought treatment, with 147 suffering injuries while three were treated for trauma. At least two were admitted to the intensive care unit.
Within a 280m radius, 218 homes were damaged.
Estimated losses include RM65mil in property, RM7mil for vehicles and RM5mil in infrastructure – totalling roughly RM80mil.
With the inferno raging for almost eight hours, was it akin to a miracle that no lives were lost since residents were at home?
Yes, I agree that it was somewhat of a miracle. It was Hari Raya during that time with many people in their homes.
As soon as we got the call at 8.10am, we managed to mobilise our men from all the nearby stations quickly as that is the time our men are gearing up for a change in shift as well as equipment inspection.
Fire and Rescue dogs and their handlers together with other first responders searching for the victims in the 2022 Batang Kali landslide.
There was no traffic due to the holiday, so fire engines were able to reach the scene fast.
We also had an advantage with our fresh recruits having just been deployed before Hari Raya.
These young and spirited firemen really put in effort for the rescue operations, including doing door-to-door checks and helping to carry out at least 33 residents to safety.
At the height of the fire, at a distance of 100m from the epicentre, the intensity was between 430°C to 750°C which can melt plastic and destroy wood.
Our priority was to create a line of defence especially beyond a 100m radius.
The fumes emitted were extremely hazardous.
We used a projection method to come up with a map of the disaster zone to concentrate efforts.
We realised that some of the burning debris and soil from the blast zone had started secondary fires at nearby houses.
Firemen carrying an amputee to safety in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, during the floods in 2021.
We concentrated our operations on saving lives and protecting as many houses as we could without endangering Fire and Rescue Department personnel.
A total of 112 firemen from 11 stations involving 22 fire engines were mobilised.
We also had three engines from volunteer fire units.
I was present at the site to oversee the operations along with my senior officers.
Thankfully, no firemen were hurt or our equipment damaged.
I am also glad that residents cooperated when told to evacuate their homes.
Why did it take many hours to put out the fire?
Dealing with the Putra Heights incident was not as simple as turning off a gas stove, because the pipes were channelling gas all the way from Segamat to the north of the country.
Even if we were to turn off the valve, there is about 8km upstream to 10km downstream of compressed gas inside the pipeline that needs to burn out before the fire can be extinguished.
That is why it took so long to put out the fire, which was officially extinguished at 3.45pm.
At the time of the fire, there were some ideas for us to use excavators to pile up earth on the burning area to stop the flow of oxygen.
However, due to public safety, we decided to evacuate the area and let the gas burn off on its own after sealing the valves and isolating the inferno area.
We were in constant consultation with the gas company to find the best possible method to handle this case.
Installations like pipelines follow technical standards and international guidelines. The current right-of-way (buffer) is 40m, and it meets the required standards.
What can be done to improve the safety and security of people with Malaysia's rapid progress in various industries?
This is something that we are concerned about.
To keep up with all the changes, history is in the process of being created.
For the first time, we are making amendments to 42 sections in the Fire Services Act 1988, which will cover more areas and give us more powers to prosecute as well as enforce safety measures.
I expect some of the amendments to come into force in the coming months while others will be enforced by next year.
Firemen putting out a blaze at a house in Johor Baru.
With the added powers, industries which fail to comply with the Act can face a fine of RM500,000 under the new amendments.
After this, the Fire and Rescue Department no longer needs to rely on provisions or laws such as the Penal Code.
The last time changes were made to the Act was in 2018.
You recently mentioned that at least 1,181 of Malaysia's firemen are obese and another 229 suffer from various health issues. Is it due to stress from the job?
What measures are being taken to address this?
Yes 1,181 of our men were classified obese last year with body mass index (BMI) of over 30.
We launched a wellness hub in June last year and saw 260 men reach their ideal BMI within six months.
Johor led the way with 62% achieving weight loss. Some of them lost up to 30kg.
This initiative will continue.
Those with diabetes, kidney failure or hypertension were excluded from the programme.
While some weight loss may be linked to illness, stress-related mental health cases among our personnel are minimal – fewer than 10 have been referred for psychiatric help.
It is important for my men to keep fit and healthy because if they are not, their promotions, commendation letters and other rewards will be put on hold.
I have been enforcing this since I took over as director-general last year.
Is the department using artificial intelligence (AI) in its operations?
How is this being implemented?
I have emphasised the need for digitalisation in the department.
That is key as we want to be able to manage public expectation, especially as to why we are late during fires or emergencies.
I understand the public's concerns.
We have formed a special AI team under our deputy director-general for administration.
We hope to use AI for asset tracking via radio frequency identification (RFID) and to pre-screen building plans to speed up approval time.
Now with the upgrading of our C41 (command,control, communications, computers and intelligence systems) in the Klang Valley beginning August this year, we will be able to provide the public with real-time and specific direction on fire engines heading to the scene of an emergency.
We will also be installing dashcams on fire engines and getting 120 body cameras for our firemen so that they will be able to carry out their operations and get instructions from their superiors.
We also hope to use smart maps to navigate through traffic and find the nearest fire station or fastest route to the incident.
I hope with these new measures, we can further cut down our response time, as even one minute is vital during an emergency.
We have allocated RM48.6mil for this project. If it is successful, we can expand it nationwide.
How can the department work on building more public and private partnership programmes as part of its engagement with the community?
We have adopted the 4P – people, public, private, partnership – model.
We have a plan to set up eight new Community Fire Learning Centres nationwide, with facilities for training and public use.
The centres are free but before any event – even birthday parties – organisers can ask for a short slot for us to have a fire safety talk.
This is our way of engaging directly with the public.
The Johor Community Fire Learning Centre in Larkin, for example, has smoke houses, dark rooms and fire simulations.
There are plans for such centres to be set up in Penang, Sarawak, Sabah, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Recently, we also entered into a partnership with Genting Bhd which will co-fund a new fire station in Gohtong Jaya in Pahang.
The RM68mil fire station will involve RM39mil funds from the government while the balance is from the company.
This is the first partnership of its kind in Malaysia, and we are hoping to use this station and its facilities for specialised high-angle rescue training.
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