Training to strengthen rescuing capability in highland areas

DUNGUN, Nov 19 -- Sixty rescuing personnel from various agencies in the state are undergoing training to strengthen their ability to rescue and manage victims in mountainous and highland areas.

Director of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Terengganu, Mohamad Shoki Hamzah said among the agencies involved in the three-day training session starting yesterday at the Chemerong Waterfalls, here were the JBPM, Royal Malaysia Police, Terengganu State Forestry Department, and mountain guides.

 “We chose Chemerong Waterfalls, Dungun as the location because of the height of the waterfalls at 303 meters as well as its popularity as a recreational and climbing area for local and foreign tourists.

“Here, the mountain guides take between eight and nine hours to reach the peak while for climbers, they probably need a longer time to the extent that their body fitness might not be able to take it and cause injury to them,” he said when met by Bernama at the Chemerong Waterfalls, here.

He said that at the Chemerong Waterfalls alone, the Fire and Rescue Department had handled 11 cases with 34 victims involving injury and death from 2016 until now.

In addition, he said the training also identified locations for helicopter landing in the area in case it was necessary to evacuate injured victims by air.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Shoki said the training also involved telecommunication companies as most recreational areas and waterfalls faced problems of communication coverage to the extent that rescuers faced difficulty in communicating during rescue missions.

“In the training this time, we also want to see how far the communications equipment can be used with assistance from the telecommunication companies and whether the equipment can be used at the peak of the mountain,” he added.

-- BERNAMA