KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin described the statement of a safety expert who questioned the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) in the drowning cases in Puchong last Wednesday as unfair.
Zuraida said the expert had to get the true picture and wait for a full report of the investigation before making any conclusions.
“I know about the statement, but I think he needs to go to the scene of the incident to get a true picture and read the full report, then make a statement,” she said when met by reporters at the Lembah Pantai Division polling centre for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) here today.
Peninsula Malaysia Oil and Gas Professional Association (PMOGPA) chairman Marikh Azahari Ramli reportedly questioned the procedures and strategies used in the rescue operation, which to him might be apt for other situations but not in fast-flowing water and especially more so at night.
Zuraida said however, her ministry did not rule out the possibility of reviewing the existing SOP, especially during rescues in fast flowing water conditions.
Last Wednesday, six firefighters from the Water Rescue Team (PPDA) were killed during a search and rescue operation of a teenager who drowned at a mine in Taman Putra Perdana, Puchong. — Bernama
