PASIR GUDANG: The Fire and Rescue Department aims to create millions of “citizen lifesavers” nationwide by equipping members of the public with basic firefighting and rescue skills.
Fire and Rescue Department training unit director Abdul Razak Muda said the initiative was in line with the department’s policy of “bringing firefighting services closer to the people” under the National Fire and Rescue Policy 2030.
He said 1,600 participants attended the Firefighting Skills Awareness Programme at Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Industrial Technology (UniKL MITEC) here on Thursday (Aug 20), exceeding the Johor target of 1,500.
“The programme is a collaboration between the Johor and Melaka Fire and Rescue departments, but it is not limited to Johor as it covers participants nationwide,” he said at a press conference after attending the programme.
Abdul Razak said the programme began in Sabah on July 28, attracting 970 participants, followed by Selangor on Aug 4 with about 1,472 participants, while the Kuala Lumpur programme held two days ago drew 1,797 participants.
He said the programme would next be held in Terengganu on Aug 24, targeting 1,200 participants, followed by Penang on Sept 3 and Sarawak on Sept 7, with about 9,500 participants targeted nationwide this year.
“We are introducing a new approach where participants undergo two hours of theory followed by practical sessions at six stations, each designed to provide different firefighting and rescue skills,” he said.
Abdul Razak said the programme was aimed at empowering members of the public to act as first responders before firefighters arrived, adding that the department was moving towards shared responsibility and self-regulation in fire safety, including training Fire Safety Managers and Fire Safety Officers to conduct inspections themselves.
“We believe that the duty and responsibility to save lives is a shared responsibility and should not depend solely on the Fire and Rescue Department,” he said.
