PUTRAJAYA: The Fire and Rescue Department will fast track the purchase of fireproof suits, says director-general Datuk Mohamad Hamdan Wahid.
He urged all parties to be patient as the matter would be resolved soon.
“I have been told of the grouses (on the shortage of fireproof suits) from officers,” he said after presenting the department’s honorary awards today.
“Also, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin has agreed to speed up the process of supplying the suits.
“It can no longer be delayed.”
Hamdan also confirmed that fireproof suits were purchased in accordance with procedures in 2016.
But, he said, the suits could not be supplied to firefighters because the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was carrying out an investigation.
He said another acquisition was initiated in 2017, but there was a 30-month delay due to technical and procedural issues.
“Each year, we will do it because fireproof suits have a limited lifespan, especially when they are used frequently.”
Hamdan declined to comment on MACC’s investigations as it was under the commission’s jurisdiction and involved many parties including suppliers, manufacturers, the department’s technical officers and the acquisition board.
However, he confirmed that MACC had recorded the statements of several of the department’s officers since 2017.
“This case has nothing to do with the internal technical aspects of the department and more to do with the suppliers.
“We are glad that the matter is being investigated, especially to ensure that the suits are genuine and safe to be used,”
he said, adding that the suits had a lifespan of between three and five years.
It was reported recently that nine fire stations were short of fireproof suits because none had been purchased since 2017.
This had resulted in firemen being forced to use old and torn suits, or share them with others.
It was reported that MACC was trying to establish whether the 6,000 fireproof suits purchased in 2016 for RM13.5 million were fake.
The Chemistry Department has confirmed that the suits are not safe for use due to a breach of the Fire and Rescue Department’s standards.
It was also reported that the Housing and Local Government Ministry had decided in a meeting on June 10, 2016, to award the contract to supply the suits to a private limited company, whose registered address is in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.