JOHOR BAHRU, April 29 — Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said 1,483 vacancies involving full-time officers (PSM) of various grades need to be filled this year.
His team is currently recruiting trainees, with 276 trainees in Phase One and 233 trainees in Phase Two.
The first intake this week involves 29 trainees under Grade 29.
“Currently, we have 14,750 full-time Fire Officer positions, and of that number, the vacancy is 1,483, equivalent to 10.05 per cent throughout Malaysia,” Hisham said.
He was speaking to the press after the Johor JBPM 2023 Excellent Service Award Ceremony, 30-Year Service Certificate Ceremony and Auxiliary Fire Officer Commendable Service Certificate Ceremony today.
“Alhamdulillah, we recently recruited 276 members. At the same time, we have 14,750 full-time Fire Officer positions, and from this number, there are only 1,483 vacancies, which is 10.05 per cent nationwide,” Hisham said.
For Johor, the vacancies are for Grade KB 41 (one vacancy), Grade KB 29 (three vacancies), and Grade KB 19 (130 vacancies).
“We will give allowance to major states like Johor, Kuala Lumpur, and Selangor to increase this percentage because these states have recorded significant related incidents,” he said.
In another development, Hisham said the JBPM will receive the procurement distribution of 150 units of new “Compact Fire Rescue Tender” (CFRT) machinery in stages until 2028.
During that period, Johor will also receive 19 CFRT units to improve emergency response capabilities.
He said the Johor JBPM is one of the priorities, considering the high number of emergency calls issued every year in this state and the condition of machinery that needs immediate replacement.
“We found the constraints on the use of our existing machinery so urgent. For the short term, we have channelled additional engineering allocations to the Johor JBPM to carry out immediate repairs to the existing machinery.
“Long-term wise, we are channelling two CFRT units to Johor through the first phase. CFRT is a new approach for faster access in urban and village areas with narrow roads.
“We have also approved the maintenance of 30 machines, involving a total cost of RM18 million, of which one machine costs about RM600,000. For maintenance purposes, seven CFRT machines from Johor have been identified,” Hisham said.
— Bernama
