KUALA LUMPUR: Over 24,000 rescuers are on standby for a possible second wave of floods amid the northeast monsoon season, says Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming (pic).
Among them are 13,556 firefighters, 8,421 volunteer officers and 2,147 auxiliary officers, he said.
“In total, 24,873 personnel have been deployed in preparation for the northeast monsoon,” he told reporters at a briefing on the Fire and Rescue Department’s flood preparation strategies at Hang Tuah Fire Station here yesterday.
He said beginning Dec 1, all firefighters were not allowed to go on leave.
“As of Wednesday morning, the total number of flood victims has been reduced and some relief centres have been closed,” he said.
Nga said the government had approved the procurement of 231 new rescue vehicles with an allocation of RM40mil under Budget 2025.
“This includes the purchase of 200 units of Operational Light Vehicles for emergency use, Heavy Duty and Light Fire Fighting Vehicles, as well as the replacement of five Canine Rescue Tender units,” he added.
To complement the procurement of the new vehicles, Nga said a total of RM33.69mil was earmarked for maintenance.
He also said that the department is set to receive 30 new fire engines worth RM60mil from China.
Nga said the allowance for volunteer firefighting teams would also be increased from RM3,000 to RM5,000.
At the briefing, Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said a total of 985 land and water assets have been mobilised for flood operations nationwide.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast the onset of a second wave of floods within two weeks, starting from Dec 7.
