JOHOR BARU: Firemen will be stationed at 12 accident hotspots along major highways in seven states around the country to provide assistance to tens of thousands of people who will be travelling during the Hari Raya period.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad said that Pahang and Perak have the most with three sites each, with two in Johor and one each in Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
He said that emergency response teams would be deployed between March 18 and 24.
The main goal of placing them at the 12 locations was to ensure quick response to road accidents or other emergencies during the high-traffic holiday period, he said.
“Our team will be collaborating with other agencies including the police, highway authorities and other responders such as the Civil Defence Force,” he said.
The department was also providing air ambulance services with its nine helicopters, he said in an interview.
Nor Hisham said that leave had been approved for only 20% of the staff in the department to ensure enough manpower during the festive period.
To a question about last year’s operations during the same period, he said that they had carried out patrols covering a distance of 8,455km and attended to 142 rescue jobs and two cases of fire.
These included road accidents which caused four deaths and 12 injuries, he said.
“We managed to rescue 12 people,” he said in an interview.
Nor Hisham reminded parents and guardians to keep tabs on children who wanted to play fireworks, citing that there had been a total of 82 fires during Hari Raya in the past five years.
”Last year, there were 19 fires. There was even an injury,” he said.
He also advised house owners to ensure that the electrical wiring in their homes were safe, he said, adding that they must not overload any electrical point with too many appliances.
“Old wiring, frequent tripping of switches and the use of high-powered appliances like air conditioners, water heaters and chest freezers often lead to electrical overloading,” he said.
Appliances should also be properly certified, he added.
He spoke of other common mistakes such as directly reconnecting a blown fuse or bypassing electrical safety systems, which could spark major fires, especially if the system fails to cut off the power during a short circuit or overheating.
Nor Hisham advised home owners to have their wiring inspected by a licensed electrician every 10 to 15 years to detect possible electrical leaks, particularly in older houses or newly completed homes.
“Don’t take early signs of electrical faults lightly. If a socket in your home keeps tripping, don’t just ignore it. Call a qualified electrician to fix the problem,” he advised.
He said it would be ideal if every house has fire extinguishers and smoke alarms.
