Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department adds 200 light vehicles and drones to prepare for potential super el nino impact from November.
PUCHONG: The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) is strengthening its assets and logistics readiness in preparation for the expected impact of the “Super El Nino” phenomenon at the end of this year, through the addition of new assets, including the receipt of 200 units of Light Operation Vehicles in stages starting this month.
JBPM director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohamad said that JBPM’s current focus is to ensure operational readiness is at an optimal level to face the increased risk of forest fires, peatland fires and haze if the phenomenon occurs as predicted.
“The operational planning also takes into account the weather forecast of the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia), including the expected reduction in rainfall in several high-risk areas.
“The fire department’s focus at the moment is how we deal with incidents that are expected to have an impact due to the Super El Niño that will occur between November and January,” he said at a press conference after the Media Engagement Session: Government Preparedness to Face the 2026 Southwest Monsoon here today.
In addition, he said the use of 26 drone units would be enhanced to assist in the early monitoring of fire-risk areas, thus reducing dependence on air assets in monitoring operations.
“We also have drones, to reduce the burden on our air assets to monitor fire locations and make plans (using drones),” he said.
He said the red hero team is also expected to receive two additional helicopters at the end of November until January next year to strengthen air monitoring and firefighting operations.
“We are also looking into the use of helicopters for cloud seeding operations, but the initial technical assessment found that the method was not suitable this time,” he said.
As an alternative, he said the use of long-range drones was being considered to conduct preliminary reconnaissance in large-scale fire areas before extinguishing operations were launched.
Nor Hisham said JBPM had also identified high-risk locations and coordinated the use of assets with other agencies under the national disaster management mechanism to ensure that a response could be implemented quickly if the weather situation became more critical.
“And we have also examined 183 locations that need attention, namely hot spots, to see how logistics can be coordinated or distributed to other agencies,” he said.
The media recently reported that MetMalaysia expects temperatures in the country to potentially reach between 39 and 40 degrees Celsius in the northern and interior areas of the Peninsula if the “Super El Nino” phenomenon develops as predicted in the next few months.
