RANAU: The district’s Fire and Rescue Department managed to salvage RM1.2 million worth of properties thanks to its swift action in attending to the various emergencies here last year.
Ranau Fire and Rescue Department Chief, PPgB Ridwan Mohd Taib said the amount is approximately a 275-per cent increase from RM323,234 salvaged in 2022 to RM1,212,140 last year.
On the other hand, he said the losses recorded for last year was RM2,110,913, compared to RM652,141 in 2022, last year, which was approximately a 224-per cent increase.
He said the increase in both salvaged and losses was due to the increase in cases for last year compared to 2022.
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Compared to last year’s record, he said in 2022 there were 31 calls for fire incidents, 261 calls for rescue cases and 23 calls for special tasks.
Meanwhile, he said, the Mount Kinabalu search and rescue team (Mosar) recorded nearly 50 cases last year involving illnesses and injuries to climbers.
He said the numbers recorded last year indicated that immediate emergency calls to the fire department had increased in the area due to public awareness.
He added that various efforts were also taken to increase efforts among the Ranau community related to fire safety.
“Through the Fire Safety Campaign, procedures for the use of fire extinguishers at the village, school level and also Government and private building permits.
“All the departments here are strongly encouraged to invite the fire department to hold fire safety talks, fire drill exercises, training in the use of fire extinguishers, building evacuation and so on.
“This is important in order to train the community not to panic too much when facing a fire incident in front of them,” he said.
Towards that end, Ridwan reiterated the call to the public to be more cautious of fire incidents especially during the dry and windy season.
“The public needs to prioritise safety first because fire in the open area could easily become uncontrollable and could turn disastrous with the risk of losing valuable assets, homes and even lives.
“If there is open burning that cannot be avoided, it must be monitored and controlled, in order to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby areas,” he said.
He also called on all motorists to be extra careful when driving across the district, especially on narrow and bending village roads.
“People are asked to be more careful when driving in rainy weather conditions as well as damaged or under-repaired roads.
“Always be attentive while on the road and give cooperation to other road users. Do drive slowly especially when on uneven roads.
“Drive prudently and be sensitive to the surrounding conditions because we all want to reach our destination safely and meet our beloved family,” he explained.
Ridwan also reiterated his advice to prospective Mount Kinabalu climbers to assess their health before climbing.
He said there must be mental and physical preparations, and only bring along suitable and necessary items.
He also advised climbers scaling Mount Kinabalu to be extra careful during the current rainy season because the ground surface and rocks are more slippery than during normal weather.
“Always climb in groups, don’t walk alone and make sure to be attentive to what the guides advise us.
“This is so important in order to avoid any untoward incidents in the future,” he said.
According to Ridwan, for any Fire emergency or special services contact Bimba Ranau at 088-878779, hotline at 019-2449348 or dial 999.
He said every fire and rescue personnel in the district was on standby and ready to act upon any fire incident in the district considering the risky condition taking place all the time.