Rescuers deserve higher pay, better equipment

 

When a building is on fire, who do you call? The fire and rescue department. And this is what people did when the boys’ dormitory of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Dato’ Haji Abu Hassan Haji Sail in Pedas, Rembau, caught fire on July 31 this year.

When floods threaten lives, who do you call? The fire and rescue department, of course. On Dec 9, firemen rescued 45 students and staff who were trapped in the Giat Mara building along Jalan Pantai, Negeri Sembilan.

When there’s a chemical or gas leak at a factory, who do you call? The fire and rescue department, of course, as happened on Oct 3 in Kuala Kedah when an ammonia gas leak caused a worker to fall unconscious.

When a tree falls on a car, who do you call? Again, the fire and rescue department, as happened on Nov 13 when an uprooted tree pinned down a car in Kulim, Kedah. A trapped couple was freed by the firemen.

When a snake enters your house, who do you call? Yet again, you call the fire and rescue department as a Taman Damai Jaya, Johor Bahru, resident did on Oct 3. He found a python lying in the cage where he had kept his cat, which, unfortunately, had been devoured by the reptile. Firemen removed the 20kg and 1.5m long python.

And when there’s a landslide, who do you call? Everyone knows by now that you call the fire and rescue department.

We all saw how hard the staff of the fire and rescue department, the police, the civil defence, and volunteers worked to help rescue those who were trapped at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Genting Highlands.

They are all heroes, every last one of them.

The rescuers never gave up. After rescuing victims who were alive, they continued working until they retrieved all the bodies. Bravo.

The body of the last victim of the landslide was found on Dec 24, eight days after the tragedy occurred. A total of 31 lives were lost but 61 people were rescued; and while we mourn the dead, we should be happy that most of the campers were rescued.

I was particularly happy to note Selangor fire and rescue department assistant operations director Hafisham Mohd Noor say, five days into the rescue operation, that the men would not give up until the last person was found.

Bernama reported that many of the team members, although weary, continued with the search despite being given permission to take a break.

We also heard that Selangor fire and rescue chief Norazam Khamis was rushed to the Selayang Hospital on Dec 19 after suffering a minor stroke brought on by exhaustion and lack of sleep.

I think we do not thank these brave people enough. Staff of the fire and rescue department, the police, the civil defence department and ordinary people who rush to help when disaster strikes deserve all the praise we can shower on them.

Certainly, in normal situations, we sometimes hear complaints about the fire and rescue department – such as that the firemen arrived late – and about the police – such as deaths in custody or that they did a shoddy investigative job.

But when it comes to a life-or-death situation, when it comes to the crunch, I believe we can trust our uniformed men and women. And they proved it so well in the recent Genting Highland’s landslide tragedy.

All those who slogged throughout the period to rescue the landslide victims and retrieve the bodies must be terribly exhausted. I hope their bosses will allow them some time off.

And I must note that most of those on the ground were ordinary staff whose salaries do not exceed RM4,000. The minimum salary of a fireman is RM1,360, with a maximum of RM4,052. The annual increment, I understand, is RM100 a year until they reach the maximum salary.

I think it is time a special case was made for those involved in rescue work so that they enjoy better grades and salaries.

With climate change beginning to cause havoc, rescuers will be called upon more frequently to save lives. They should be well equipped and well compensated.

The government should allocate more money in Budget 2023 for rescue work. The department should be given more and better equipment, including rescue boats. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.