ALOR GAJAH – The Civil Defence Force (APM) plans to recruit 20,000 new volunteer members next year to further increase its ability to respond to disasters.
APM chief commissioner Datuk Roslan Wahab said recruitment would focus on communities where disasters happen so that they can provide immediate aid in case of any emergencies before further aid from various security agencies arrive.
“The new membership drive will be focused at communities in disaster-prone areas, such as floods, landslides, and storms, to train these new members to be ready to face various emergencies in their area.
“After all, they are more likely to know better what is happening in the areas they are from,” he said during a press conference after visiting the Alor Gajah District Civil Defence office today.
Roslan said those interested in signing up as an APM volunteer for the next year’s new intake can visit the APM website or the nearest APM office.
He also said APM received an allocation of RM25 million to replace its aging ambulances in stages beginning next year.
Roslan said that to start with, RM5 million will be spent on 20 new ambulances, while RM10 million will be allocated for the same purpose in 2022 and 2023 respectively. – Bernama, December 6, 2020
