PUCHONG: A mechanism will be worked out to retain Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) personnel, who are among the world's elite, under the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said SMART had carved out an international reputation for itself but its team members were on secondment from three agencies – the police, Fire and Rescue Department, and Malaysian Armed Forces.
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Given the extensive and highly specialised training they had undergone, he added that it was crucial to retain them at Nadma's National Disaster Control Centre instead of having them rotated out and training newcomers all over again.
"In 2016, SMART was recognised among the best elite rescue teams by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (Insarag) External Classification (IEC).
"At present, SMART is ranked second in Asean, eighth in the Asia Pacific and 46th in the world," he told the media after visiting SMART headquarters here on Friday (Jan 19).
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Ahmad Zahid said Nadma had an understanding with the agencies involved regarding SMART personnel but based on existing regulations, they must return to their respective units after a certain period.
“So we have to find a (way) to retain them... as well as give them promotions.
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“This is a suggestion which will be discussed with the Public Service Department and the relevant agencies,” he added.
At present, SMART's structure requires a roster of 141, out of which 125 positions have been filled for this year.
Also present during the Deputy Prime Minister's visit was Nadma director-general Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus.
