KUALA LUMPUR: Since 2000, a total of six divers from the Fire and Rescue Department’s Underwater Rescue Team have died during operations in the country.
On May 15, 2000, Idris Ahmad went missing during a training session at Pulau Sembilan in Perak. A search-and-rescue (SAR) operation was launched, but his body was never found.
During the SAR operation, another personnel involved in the operation, Mohd Noor Harun, also went missing a day after the incident.
In 2004, a Fire and Rescue Department personnel Shuhaimi @ Jimmy Ibrahim was killed when he had a heart attack during a dive training at the Terengganu Safety and Training Centre.
Four years later, Underwater Rescue Team diver Sahsi Ibrahim died during an operation to search for victims of a shipwreck in Kapit, Sarawak.
In Terengganu, another diver, Aladi Hassan, was killed during a SAR operation for a drowning victim at Tasik Kenyir in 2009.
Fire and Rescue Department’s Operation Management Department chief Assistant Fire Commissioner Syufaat Kamaron said every time there was a death involving its personnel, the department’s federal headquarters would review the standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure such incidents did not recur
“It is our job to save victims. For the federal headquarters, it is our job to ensure that our divers are safe.
“When a tragedy strikes, we develop and review the SOP to ensure such incidents do not happen again.”
He said accidents related to water activities usually happened when the SOP was not followed, such as the requirement for divers to have “dive buddies”.
The Underwater Rescue Team usually comprises seven members — the supervisor or master diver, two primary divers, two for tender (rope holders) and two back-up divers.
Syufaat said divers faced different challenges according to the location of the operation.
“At sea, strong currents can be life-threatening, coupled with threats of dangerous and venomous sea creatures.
“When divers are deployed to lakes or dams, the temperature of the water could be hazardous as it could increase or decrease rapidly.
“The low visibility level at these locations could also pose a challenge.”
Syufaat said the most challenging settings for an operation were at rivers and waterfalls.
“The SOP for divers in river rescue operations is more stringent. Apart from murky water and strong currents, we also are cautious in the event of water column, known colloquially as ‘kepala air’,” he said, adding that venomous animals such as snakes, scorpions and centipedes could also be hazardous.