MIRI: More than 100 residents of four villages in Lutong attended the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia’s (JBPM) ‘Teman Pili Bomba’ programme held at Miri Crude Oil Terminal (MCOT), Petronas on Saturday morning.
The villages were Senadin, Sealine, Merikan and Api.
Yesterday’s programme was a collaboration made between Petronas and Lopeng Fire and Rescue Department.
The ‘Teman Pili Bomba’ programme has been established since 1986 to foster a strong collaboration between the community and the Fire and Rescue Department.
The programme is to create awareness among the public of the importance of maintaining fire hydrants and ensuring that hydrants in their areas are in good condition to be used in emergency situations.
A total of 78 fire hydrants have been installed in the four villages.
According to a spokesperson of Lopeng Fire and Rescue Department, there are two categories of fire hydrants – public fire hydrant and private fire hydrant.
Public fire hydrants are installed in public areas or premises, such as villages, housing areas, new villages, recreational areas and by the roadside. Private fire hydrants are those installed in private areas or premises such as stores, factories, shops and warehouses owned by private proprietary.
The programme relies on the ‘foster parent’ of fire hydrants to play their role as a custodian for the Fire and Rescue Department to ensure that the fire hydrants are not blocked by anyone placing obstacles; to clear grass or any equipment blocking the hydrant pits and so forth.
The programme ended around 12.30pm with a certificates presentation to participants.
On behalf of Petronas, its senior officer for safety and environment Sarawak operation, Suhaimi Ahmad, was present to receive a certificate of appreciation from Lopeng Fire and Rescue Department representative, Henry Jugah.