KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department have frozen 80% of its officers and personnel’ leave to prepare for emergencies during the Aidilfitri festive season.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Abdul Wahab Mat Yasin said the move involves 10,174 personnel and takes effect from today until April 30.
“To prevent fires during the festive season, we are conducting a fire safety awareness campaign targeted at housing communities, business centres and others.
“The public is reminded to always improve fire safety aspects in their respective premises and homes before returning to their hometown so as not to face any losses,” he told Bernama.
Apart from the physical campaign, the department implements e-learning programmes through social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, YouTube and TikTok.
“For your information, the risk of fire increases during the festive season and it is important for all parties to enhance their awareness about the importance of fire safety measures,” he said.
When asked whether the department has identified potential hotspot areas, Wahab said no structural fire hotspots could be identified as fire can occur due to several factors and not solely due to temperature increase.
“However, we remain prepared and take into account popular spots for Hari Raya and Ramadan. We have also increased enforcement by conducting inspections to eliminate fire hazards to prevent fires,” he said.
In addition, the Fire and Rescue Department will carry out scheduled patrols along the North-South Expressway and the East Coast Expressway to speed up the response time during emergencies.
Meanwhile, Wahab said the department did not implement special patrols related to the use of firecrackers and fireworks and advised the public to always be careful during the festive season to avoid any untoward accidents. – Bernama, April 15, 2023
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