Malay fireman talks man out of suicide in Mandarin

Heroes honoured: Fariszuan (left) and Al-Hakim posing with their awards from the Malaysia Fire Protection Association.

KUALA LUMPUR: Fluency in Mandarin was an advantage when fireman Mohd Fariszuan Jumaat talked a man out of killing himself.

Little did the 22-year-old from the Pudu Fire and Rescue Station here realise that his stint at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chung Hwa in Tawau, Sabah, would come in handy when he dissuaded a Chinese man from jumping off a building on Sept 8.

"I was tasked with communicating with the man (in Mandarin) and to persuade him using psychology and engaging him in a conversation,” said Mohd Fariszuan.

"We gave him water and a cigarette to calm him before rescuing him," he said when recounting the anxious moments he and other firemen experienced in the rescue.

According to the eldest of three siblings, many of his relatives also went to Chinese schools.

“And so did my siblings,” he said.

Mohd Fariszuan, who has been a fireman for three years, and his colleague Al-Hakim Ismail, 23, received awards of appreciation from Malaysian Fire Protection Association president Teh Khay Leong here.

Mohd Fariszuan recalled the man standing on a ledge on the 15th floor of the Seri Sarawak Public Housing flat at 4pm.

A Fire and Rescue team with two fire engines from the Pudu and Hang Tuah stations sped to the location after receiving a call from a member of the public. The man was brought down to safety at 5.20pm.

A video on the team’s success went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp.

Asked how he was able to rescue the man in a tight space during the incident, Mohd Fariszuan said he fell back on his training as a fireman.

"A fireman has to be calm and professional when faced with a tense situation as we work as a team," he said.

Meanwhile, for Al-Hakim, of Kuala Krai, Kelantan, it was the first time he had encountered such a situation after being posted at the Pudu Fire and Rescue Station three years ago.

The 10th of 11 siblings said it was “very difficult” because they could not place an air bag or net at the base of the building due to the condition and shape of the building. — Bernama