PUTRAJAYA: Four dogs from the Fire and Rescue Department's K9 unit that were involved in the search-and-rescue operation after the Batang Kali landslide have been awarded the Golden Performance medal.
The four - Blake, Lady, Grouse and Pop - received the medal from Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming at the ministry's New Year’s mandate ceremony on Monday (Jan 9).
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At the event, the Minister of Local Government Development Nga Kor Ming presented certificates of appreciation to the Director of the Fire and Rescue Operations Division Datuk Nor Hisham Mohamad who represented the firefighters and K9 unit involved in the Batang Kali landslide tragedy last month and Selangor JBPM Deputy Director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail, representing his team.
The landslide at Father's Organic Farm camping site involved 92 victims, of which 31 were killed and 61 were rescued.
On the department's K9 unit, its Director-General Datuk Seri Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said that it has 36 dogs and called all of them "living assets" to ensure that firefighting and rescue operations are carried out as best as possible.
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"They can also detect victims of drowning at a depth between 0.9 metres and 1.82 metres underwater," said Mohammad Hamdan.
He added that the dogs would undergo daily training in disaster management based on simulated scenarios.
Speaking to media at the event, he also said that new and modern firefighting assets are needed to strengthen the agency's services
"We need both new assets and existing assets to be maintained. Now people are talking about auto systems, robotic firefighting, drone manouvering and also connectivity as well as the use of AI (artificial intelligence)," he said.
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"This is what we will develop and we need help from the government (in terms of allocation) to ensure the level of fire services is in line with our country’s progress," added Mohammad Hamdan.
He said the application for allocations to have more assets and asset maintenance would be submitted under the 12th Malaysia Plan and the 13th Malaysia Plan. - Bernama
