Bomba to enhance service by developing assets
MIRI: The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) is looking at developing its tangible and intangible assets to further enhance its services to the people, especially those in the interior areas.
Bomba director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said such development would be in line with the vision of the nation becoming ‘a developed country in time to come’.
“In our five-year plan, that is the 11th Malaysia Plan, we have outlined the requirements of fire and rescue services in this country. A developed nation shall not only look at materialistic part of it or physical development, but also in terms of the value and human resources.
“We will develop ‘our boys’ in terms of training and also their capabilities and capacities. We will also increase the logistics required for mobilisation and use during any kind of emergency, and also building fire stations,” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of a ‘Summer Camp 2018’ programme here Friday.
The programme was run by Bomba Zone 6 and Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Miri Resident’s Office.
Adding on, Mohammad Hamdan said the department had identified several areas in Sarawak that need new Fire and Rescue stations, or require enhancement works on existing ones. These include Matu Daro, Tanjong Manis, Batu Niah, Samalaju, Sibu Jaya, Bintangor, Belaga, Matu Igan and Selangau.
“We are quite fortunate in the sense that the federal government has been very cooperative in giving and approving projects for Sarawak.
“The only thing is that we request for the Sarawak government to be more proactive in giving us good locations for land because having strategic locations is important, in accordance to the grid of the Fire Risk Index; if the location is right, then it most probably be very effective because (the locations are) closer to the community.
“When the stations are closer to the community, then our response time would be shortened. With this, hopefully we would become more responsive and effective in our service delivery system.”
When asked about the re-tendering of the Bomba station project in Batu Niah, Mohammad Hamdan said this is still pending the decision on who would to be awarded with the contract.
“Of course, because of the rationalisation of budget by the Ministry of Finance, we have to respect their (ministry’s) decision. It is also a part of a strategy to be more prudent in our spending.
“I think the government knows it very well that this fire station needs to be completed because if it were to be left like that, it would become a loss not only for the community, but also for the government, as 62 per cent (of the fire station’s progress works) have reached completion.”
Mohammad Hamdan said to reappoint a new contractor replacing the previous one, whose award was terminated due to mismanagement problems, the Public Works Department (JKR) must come out with an open tender.
“The open tender and assessment have been done, just waiting for the release of the award letter where we have to wait for the MoF to say yes or no — most probably by early next year.”
Bomba Sarawak director Khirudin Drahman, Bomba Zone 6 chief Law Poh Kiong and Petronas Carigali’s Sarawak OilMalaysia Assets (Upstream) head Anuar Ismail were among those present at the event.