Tuesday, October 21, 2008

WEDNESDAY-22 OCTOBER 2008- FIRE DEPT CHOPPERS IN SABAH, SARAWAK TO BE STATIONED

Fire Dept choppers in Sabah, Sarawak to be stationed


KUANTAN:


The Fire and Rescue Department is scheduled to take delivery of two more Agusta helicopters by the end of next year, and is likely to station them in Sabah and Sarawak. Fire & Rescue Department Director-General Datuk Hamzah Abu Bakar said yesterday the two helicopters would bring to eight the number of helicopters owned by the department. The department now has two mention the type of aircraft; Agusta and four Mi-l7 helicopters. The additional aircraft would help the department improve its aerial surveillance a swell a search and-rescue operations, Hamzah told reporters after launching a seminar on fire prevention and safety, here. The Government, through the Housing and Local Government Ministry, announced in June and the number of helicopters owned allocation of RM100 million to buy by the department two more helicopters but did not. Hamzah also said that the department was improving its forensic capabilities by getting experts from Australia and Japan to train its personnel. He said nine labs had been set up nationwide to improve fire-related investigations. He also said studies showed that the people’s awareness and responsibility in terms of fires were increasing, adding that owners of buildings especially hotels gave priority to the safety aspect. - Bernama