KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Leave for 80 per cent of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) officers and personnel has been frozen in preparation for any emergency during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season.
JBPM 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, JBPM 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,” Abdul Wahab said.
When asked whether JBPM has identified potential hotspot areas, he 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. JBPM has also increased enforcement by conducting inspections to eliminate fire hazards to prevent fires,” Abdul Wahab said.
In addition, JBPM will carry out scheduled patrols along the North-South Expressway and the East Coast Expressway to speed up the response time during emergencies.
Meanwhile, he said JBPM 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
