KUCHING: All the fire-fighting volunteers in the states will be given extra equipment to provide better basic assistance during emergencies in their areas.

The state Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) senior superintendent Tiong Ling Hii said these include four-wheel drive vehicles, portable water pumps, fire extinguishers and other related equipment.

“The voluntary brigades have important roles to play especially in rural areas located far from the nearest Bomba stations. If there are emergencies, these brigades can provide early response and basic assistance with the equipment provided,” he told reporters yesterday.

Tiong earlier officiated at the Five Point Program and Gotong Royong with the Kampung Santubong voluntary fire-fighting unit at the village mosque in conjunction with the World Fire-fighters’ Day.

He also mentioned there would more trainings and courses for the members of the voluntary brigades to make them better prepared for emergencies.

At the moment, he said the training is focused on responding to fires at villages with wooden houses, where there were many reported cases of late.

“We want to train them not only how to bring down the fire, but also on basic knowledge and skills on rescuing,” he said.

(Source : Borneo Post online , 12 May 2013)