Toxic Fumes From Waste Site Fires Pose Added Dangers To Firefighters

Barnama

26-05-2025

P
laying a vital role in all types of rescue operations, firefighters frequently risk their own lives in the line of duty.
Some of the dangers they face are invisible – lurking in the form of toxic fumes with every breath they take. This is especially the case when extinguishing fires at waste disposal sites, a task frequently handled by the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) Kelantan.
Unlike other states in Peninsular Malaysia, waste disposal in Kelantan is often done directly by residents in areas designated by the local authorities. As a result, all kinds of waste, including hazardous materials that should never be disposed of there, end up at the dumpsites.
Unsurprisingly, fires frequently break out at these sites, sometimes releasing toxic gases that pose serious risks to the safety of firefighting teams.
According to JBPM Kelantan, it handled 1,827 open burning cases last year, with 207 involving incidents at garbage collection sites.
'In Kelantan, residents bring their waste directly to centralised locations… a practice that differs from other states where scheduled door-to-door collection is done. So, the waste is not filtered (separated) and left to pile up.
'When a fire breaks out, it's hard to detect it… we're talking about smouldering fires, that is, slow-burning fires beneath the surface that can spread without warning. That's the most dangerous type,' Kelantan JBPM director Farhan Sufyan Borhan said in a recent interview with Bernama.
FIRST RESPONDER
He said despite the high risk of inhaling toxic gases, JBPM is always the first agency to respond when a fire occurs at a waste disposal site.
He said under the National Security Council (NSC) Directive No. 20, JBPM is the first responder for any chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) incident.
'In other words, our team's role is to first eliminate immediate hazards – such as fire – so that the relevant authorities can enter and manage the disaster,' he said.
In the context of fires at waste disposal sites, Farhan Sufyan stressed that these incidents should not be viewed merely as fire outbreaks but rather as 'systemic disasters' involving multiple agencies due to the different types of waste present.
The four main categories of waste found at such sites are sewage, solid waste (including domestic and scheduled waste), radioactive waste and chemical waste, which are managed by different agencies, namely Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, the Department of Environment, Atomic Energy Licensing Board, local authorities and Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp).
Farhan Sufyan added that extinguishing fires at landfill sites is no simple task and often requires heavy machinery.
'We use the 'dig up and extinguish' method, where excavators are used to break apart piles of waste. These operations also demand a large volume of water, and sometimes we have to pump it in from rivers located several kilometres away from the site.
'However, JBPM does not have its own heavy machinery, so we need to request help from other agencies. If none are available, we have no choice but to wait – even though the fire doesn't wait for us,' he said.
FIRST 48 HOURS CRITICAL
Farhan Sufyan also explained that under JBPM's operating protocol, the department will take full control of firefighting operations during the first 48 hours. After that, responsibility is handed back to the local authority or the appointed agency.
If the fire continues to burn beyond that period, JBPM will only provide additional assistance on a paid basis, unless the incident poses a threat to public safety.
'Many people don't know this. The fire department isn't a free service that can be deployed at all times. There are limits and there is a legal framework.
'Even so, when lives are at stake, jurisdictional boundaries often become blurred. Our team will act without hesitation but the core issue still remains: who manages the waste, who prevents the fires, who controls the pollution?' he said.
Commenting on the toxic fumes that firemen are exposed to when putting out landfill fires, he said burning materials like tyres and plastic release toxins that can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting and even long-term health effects.
'If the toxicity is too high, we need to bring in the (JBPM's) special HAZMAT (Hazardous Material) unit but not every dumpsite fire requires their involvement,' he said, adding in Kelantan, a HAZMAT team is on standby and will be deployed if the toxins' danger levels exceed normal thresholds, with the assessment done on-site based on initial monitoring.