KOTA BARU: The Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia, Malaysia Civil Defence Force and the Royal Malaysia Police in Kelantan have coordinated the allocation of operational areas by district to prevent overlapping responsibilities during flood response operations.
Kelantan Fire and Rescue director Farhan Sufyan Borhan said the arrangement would enable each agency to provide an initial response within its designated area while ensuring that emergency calls from other locations were not left unattended.
He said that without such coordination, several agencies could end up being dispatched to the same location after receiving emergency calls through the 999 hotline.
"This could result in a shortage of operational resources in other areas, as redeploying boats and rescue equipment takes time.
"Without proper coordination, all three agencies could end up responding to the same emergency. How then would we handle another emergency call from a different location?" he told Bernama recently.
Farhan Sufyan said operational areas had been divided at both district and state levels, while the on-scene command post would serve as a platform for coordinating disaster response operations.
He said joint training sessions, discussions and meetings had also been held among the agencies to ensure that each team clearly understood its responsibilities.
He added that assistance from other agencies could also be mobilised if flooding worsened in any area and additional support was needed.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) on Monday (Nov 9) issued severe- and alert-level continuous rain warnings for several areas in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Sabah, effective until Wednesday (Nov 11).
Its director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said an analysis of weather forecast models showed that a monsoon surge was expected to affect the country until Nov 11, bringing continuous heavy rain, particularly to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and eastern Sabah.
In an updated statement as of 8.30am Monday, he said a continuous rain warning at the severe level had been issued for five districts in Kelantan, namely Bachok, Kota Baru, Tumpat, Pasir Mas and Pasir Puteh.
Meanwhile, when asked whether fake calls increase during the flood season, Farhan Sufyan said the NG999 system helps minimise such calls reaching the Fire and Rescue Department by screening them before forwarding emergency information to the relevant agencies.
He said the initial screening process helped minimise unnecessary disruptions to rescue operations.
Farhan Sufyan said that although fake emergency calls could still occur, the number received by the Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department was relatively low.
He said that prior to the introduction of the system, fake calls were common, including calls in which no details of an incident were provided.
"Previously, we sometimes received dozens of calls a month from people testing the system or remaining silent. With the NG999 system, such calls are now handled at an early stage," he said.
Farhan Sufyan said the screening process helped ensure that emergency information was channelled more systematically to the relevant agencies. - Bernama
