PETALING JAYA: Sharifah Shamini Syed Mohamed still recalls vividly the night of November 2019 when a senior citizen collapsed in a restroom of her petrol kiosk in Kebun Teh, Johor Baru.
The 60-year-old woman was travelling with her family along the Johor Baru-Tebrau Expressway and they had stopped at her station for a break.
“A while later, I heard shouts and cries for help. I rushed to the restroom to find the woman on the floor, struggling to breathe,” she told theSun.
Sharifah immediately applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the woman while the family was ushered to the “distress corner” of the station.
One of her staff alerted a hospital and an ambulance arrived 25 minutes later to pick up the woman.
Sharifah was able to respond quickly after she attended a course on first aid and how to deal with emergencies under the Go-To-Safety-Point (GTSP) initiative introduced by police in 2013.
The initiative has come a long way, having saved many lives and helped many out of difficult situations.
The GTSP is part of a National Blue Ocean Strategy that initially partnered the police with the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores and Pos Malaysia.
It entails making premises a go-to place for the public when lives are in danger or during an emergency.
These “safe havens” have a direct line to police, fire department and hospitals to ensure that help could be reached at short notice.
For instance, if a person believes he is being tailed along a highway, or someone in his car is not feeling well, he could pull up at one of the participating convenience stores or petrol stations.
The initiative, that began with seven 7-Eleven outlets and two post offices, was later expanded to include more than 3,000 petrol stations nationwide.
The oil companies involved are Petronas, Petron, Shell, BHPetrol and Caltex.
Police sent out a reminder through Twitter last week that those who need help should stop at these places.
Its objective is to provide emergency assistance to people in distress, and to instil in people the awareness that safety and security are everybody’s responsibility.
Petron Malaysia head of retail and commercial business Choong Kum Choy said the company has 720 petrol stations across the country that serve as a stop for any traveller in trouble.
“A ‘Go-To-Safety-Point’ sticker would be placed at all of our stations,” he said.
Choong said all dealers and staff participating in the GTSP programme were required to attend a three-month course on first aid and how to handle an emergency situation to equip themselves with the right skills to handle most critical situations.
Refresher courses are also conducted regularly by the company as well as the police.
He said when an individual, who is in distress, comes to seek help, a staff member would try to calm him.
“If the person is injured, we will provide first aid.
“We will also contact the nearest police station, fire department or a hospital for further assistance.”
Petrol Dealers Association Malaysia vice-president Shahnaz Khan said when a person is being tailed, the best thing to do is to stop at the nearest petrol station.
“Petrol stations have traditionally been a rallying point for people who travel in a convoy, and they are the easiest place to reach during an emergency,” he said.
Based on these factors, it is best to stop at a petrol station if a person senses danger.
“Our crew is trained and equipped to deal with such circumstances.
“Don’t worry. Just come to us,” he added.