After Fire Tragedy Calls For Sabah S Own 999 System

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Four members of a family were killed when their house in Donggongon in Sabah’s Penampang district caught fire on Tuesday morning. (Fire and rescue department pic)KOTA KINABALU: Former chief minister Shafie Apdal has questioned whether it is wise to centralise the Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS999) system in Putrajaya.
He wonders why Sabah cannot have its own emergency response system where those in charge would be aware of the areas being mentioned.
This comes following claims that firefighters had lost precious seconds in responding to a blaze that killed a family of four in Taman Hungab in Penampang, near here, on Tuesday.
In a statement, Shafie said the current system of directing all emergency calls to Putrajaya should be rectified because it added further delay when responding to crisis situations.
“Why can’t we have a Sabah-based emergency response system where the responders would be clearly aware of the areas being mentioned,” the Warisan president asked.
Calling for a review of the system, he said an account by a witness shared with the media appeared to indicate the responders were not certain of the exact location.
From the media report, he said, the caller felt he wasted time explaining the location of the Penampang district and Donggongon town, where the incident took place.
The victims were identified as Matthew Wong, 50, his wife Jecky Vun Kon Fung, 48, and their sons Brendan, 18, and Eric, 15.
Sabah fire operations assistant director Misran Bisara had said they were alerted to the blaze through MERS999 at 2.52am. A team of firefighters was sent to the scene about 4km away and managed to control the fire at 3.40am.
He said the charred remains were found inside the house at about 5am, adding that the fire had caused 90% damage to the double-storey terrace house.
According to a report by the Daily Express, neighbours said they had called MERS999 at 2.48am after noticing one of the victims flashing a torchlight from a window and screaming for help.
The report said there was an alleged miscommunication as the call was believed to have been directed to Kuala Lumpur first and the staff did not know where Penampang or Donggongon was.
Another report by an online portal claimed a second call was made at 3.04am, with the firemen arriving soon after.
MERS999 is an integrated system combining the emergency services of five agencies – the police, the fire and rescue department, the health ministry, the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency and the civil defence department – in one ICT platform.
It is meant to handle and channel calls and emergency information through one single 999 number.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president Edward Dagul also said calls should not be put through to Kuala Lumpur or Putrajaya in such emergencies.
“It is impractical and slow to have to divert emergency calls to Putrajaya or KL,” he said in a separate statement.
“KL is more than 1,500km across the South China Sea. How can we expect the person answering the call there to know the location in Sabah?
“The recent deaths have raised doubts on the ability of the fire department to respond quickly and effectively.”
Dagul said Sabah should have its own 999 line to prevent a similar incident and provide faster response in an emergency situation. - FMT

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