Revving up for faster rescues

CERT George Town members posing with their new ISU vehicle donated by the Lions Club of Penang Hillview. — Photos: CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

THE Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) George Town now has an incident support unit (ISU) vehicle to use, thanks to the Lions Club of Penang Hillview.

The club raised RM130,000 to buy the vehicle which will allow CERT to better help the public in various situations.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the idea to donate the vehicle came about after Lions Club of Penang Hillview went on a humanitarian mission during the Pahang floods last year.

“They realised they had some limitations in helping the victims as they did not have a special vehicle to transport them quickly to safer areas.

“This ISU vehicle will surely be of great help to the CERT George Town team when they go on the field, especially in emergencies involving road users,” Chow said in his speech at the presentation ceremony at Lee Sih Chong Soo Association in Burma Road.

Chow added that Penangites were fortunate that many active non-governmental organisations were collaborating with the state government to aid the needy.

“When the pandemic started, many organisations and corporate bodies contributed towards the well-being of our frontliners in hospitals and quarantine centres.

“Whenever supplies ran low, the private sector would step in to provide the items in the nick of time,” he said.

In his speech, CERT George Town chairman Ong Swee Jin spoke about the Kore Kooler Rehab Chair, which the team would be using if needed when deploying the ISU vehicle.

“This chair which provides rapid cooling is designed to help victims recover faster from heat stress.

“It is currently being used in Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States and Australia.

“CERT George Town will be the first in Penang to make use of this new technology,” he said.

Also present during the event were state welfare and environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, Ayer Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng, Lions Clubs International District 308B2 district governor Michel Yee and Lions Club of Penang Hillview chairman Phoong Chew Yee.