PUTRAJAYA, Jan 30 — The Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has expressed concern over the sharp increase in false emergency calls received over the past three years, as they not only waste resources but can also undermine rescue operations. 

JBPM director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad said 141 false calls were recorded in 2023, 196 in 2024 and 255 last year.

“For every call received, we will respond as best as we can. There have been cases where our personnel were already halfway to the scene before the caller informed us that it was a false alarm, and there have also been incidents where upon arrival, the alleged incident did not occur at all.

“This results in losses in terms of time, logistics and finances, but what concerns us most is that when we respond to areas due to false calls, we create gaps in coverage as fire engines and personnel are deployed far from their main coverage areas,” he told the media after the JBPM 2026 Annual Parade here today.

Nor Hisham said the situation leaves areas near fire stations without protection, and if a real emergency occurs, assistance has to be sourced from other stations, thereby disrupting the effectiveness of emergency response.

He said JBPM would hold discussions with the Ministry of Communications to find effective solutions to reduce the number of false calls.

As a mitigation measure, he said JBPM is placing emphasis on more effective early communication between control room officers and callers to obtain detailed information before a full response is deployed.

“In certain situations, officers will exercise sound judgement on whether it is necessary to deploy fire engines or to send assessment officers first.

“Communication in the control room is very important because what may be considered trivial by some may be a real emergency for others,” he said. — Bernama