M’sia ready to fight forest fires

JOHOR BARU: Malaysia can send between 1,200 and 1,500 personnel to fight the forest fires in Indonesia, responsible for much of the haze now enveloping parts of the region.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Noor Ibrahim said the team could be assembled in stages within 48 hours.

“Now, it’s up to the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia to decide on this matter.

“So far, nothing has been finalised but my personnel have already been put on alert, similar to what was done during our deployment to Indonesia during the 1997 haze,” he told The Star here yesterday.

The deployment, he added, would include vehicles and equipment.

During the last major forest fire in Indonesia in 1997, some 1,200 Malaysian firefighters were sent there to help douse the flames in a mission that lasted for a month.

Compared with 1997, the department was now more prepared to handle forest fires due to better water pumps and other equipment, Wan Mohd said.

Asked why the department had not deployed helicopters to carry out aerial water bombing operations, he said the fires in Indonesia involved burning peat soil, which was metres deep in the ground and difficult to douse from the air.

“We need firemen on the ground to carry out several methods, including flooding the area with water.

“Since 1997, we have invested heavily in equipment to handle forest fires,” he said, adding that any request for assistance would be handled between the Malaysian and Indonesian governments.

So far, Indonesia has asked for help from several countries, including Malaysia, which has sent a Bombardier CL415MP amphibious aircraft.

State Fire Department assistant director (operations) Mohd Rizal Buang said it was prepared to contribute at least six teams of 160 firemen for the operation.

He said the department would also mobilise six fire engines from Johor, adding that the Malaysian teams were still waiting for the green light from Indonesia.