IPOH: About 1,178 firemen in Perak are on standby for the year-end monsoon season.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Hasrin Hasbi said the department has enhanced its logistics capabilities with new vehicles to assist the public in the event of a disaster.
"We have a new vehicle to be used for the coming rainy season called the Amphibious All-Terrain Vehicle (AATV), which operates in both water and on land.
"All our equipment and assets are checked daily during (drills). The number of personnel is sufficient to aid victims during a flood
“We have gone through this before and we are now better prepared,” he said, adding that 640 personal floating devices will also be allocated for the state.
Hasrin said the department conducted special training for firemen at Tasik Banding on two occasions to increase their confidence level.
"We wanted to familiarise them with emergency situations, and the training sessions were tailored to be as close to the real situation as possible. During the training, the firemen has to cross to Pulau Pangkor from Tasik Banding along the Sungai Perak," he said, adding that the training was conducted for the scuba diving team.
Hasrin stated that the department has identified high-risk areas for floods, namely, Teluk Intan, Pantai Remis, Sitiawan, Bagan Datoh, Bagan Serai, Bukit Merah, Alor Pongsu, Gerik, Lenggong and Taiping.
Perak Civil Defence Force (APM) director Colonel Mohd Noor Hassan Ashari said it has 800 personnel ready to be deployed during floods.
"We have been well prepared since August, when the high-tide phenomenon hit the state in Sept and Nov," he said, adding that the identified coastal hotspots were Kerian, Larut, Matang, Selama, Perak Tengah, Hilir Perak and Bagan Datoh.
The authorities here have been improving their readiness since the 2014 flood, which was one of the worst to ever hit the state.