KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Fire and Rescue Department’s disaster monitoring and response is set to be sharpened by stationing a light helicopter, says its director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad.
The helicopter will be used to monitor forest fires, landslides and other emergencies during the Southwest Monsoon season.
Nor Hisham said the state’s vast geographical area and frequent disasters required such a helicopter to enable a faster operational response, as the department’s main aerial operations base in East Malaysia is in Miri, Sarawak.
“The next step is to place a light helicopter in Sabah so monitoring operations during disasters or landslides can be carried out without deploying large helicopters,” he told reporters after officiating the opening of the Putatan Fire and Rescue Community Learning Centre near here on Thursday (May 14).
Nor Hisham said that light helicopters are more cost-effective and better suited for reconnaissance missions in hard-to-reach areas. In contrast, larger helicopters remain essential for transporting supplies and evacuating victims.
He said the department expects to receive two new helicopters from Italy in October, after which assets and pilots will be reassigned to allow seasonal deployment in Sabah.
Nor Hisham said the department was intensifying preparations for the Southwest Monsoon, which is expected to bring prolonged dry spells until September, raising the risk of forest fires.
He said five helicopters are already on standby for firefighting operations nationwide.
Nor Hisham also reminded the public to avoid open burning, citing past incidents with Kota Kinabalu facing seven major fires simultaneously.
On the community learning programme, Nor Hisham said the department aims to train 50,000 students nationwide over the next five years through its basic drowning survival programme.
He said the initiative is especially important for states with many high-risk areas such as rivers, coastal waters and flood-prone zones, including Sabah.
According to him, United Nations studies have shown that children with swimming skills are 83% less likely to drown.
