PUTRAJAYA, Jan 30 — The Fire and Rescue Department needs RM190 million to purchase additional logistics equipment to deal with natural disasters in the country, director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said today.
He said logistics equipment such as multipurpose rescue boats and lorries had to be deployed during disasters such as the floods which hit several states last month.
The government had so far approved RM10 million as additional allocation for the department to buy new equipment such as generators and lighting devices apart from repairing seven fire and rescue stations damaged by the floods.
Wan Mohd Nor spoke to reporters after presenting the 2014 Excellent Service Awards to 88 officers and personnel here.
The department has 500 boats and 50 more were delivered at the end of last year. It also has 102 lorries and 100 will be added by the end of this month.
Wan Mohd Nor said the department would be adding five more amphibious boats to its current fleet of 13.
Commenting on the department’s preparations in facing the hot and dry season between now and March, he said it was ready with 240 units of forest fire-fighting equipment and 100 units of tanker lorries with a capacity of 20,000 litres each.
“We are prepared for the worst forest and peat soil fires. I am calling on the people to be more sensitive and cease open burning immediately,” he said.
A total of 9,000 calls received by the department in February last year were related to opening burning, he said. — Bernama
