Fire and rescue personnel must be skilled, committed

TO MAINTAIN their credibility and integrity in the eyes of the public, the Fire and Rescue Services Department should ensure they possess not only the most advanced fire fighting and rescue equipment, but also quality skilled personnel.

Ministry of Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Pg Abd Harris Pg Hj Shabudin, speaking during the closing ceremony of the department's basic cadet and trainee personnel training course yesterday, said that this was imperative in their line of duty, especially those related to rescue operations.

Fire and Rescue personnel must remember that having knowledge and skills alone is not enough, because without the enthusiasm, commitment and discipline to properly carry out their duties, their efforts seems somewhat incomplete, said the permanent secretary.

They should also have the spirit of teamwork, mutual respect, dedication and the desire to improve especially in discipline because as uniformed officers, these characteristics ensure that the roles and responsibilities they shoulder are carried out efficiently and productively.

The functions of the Fire and Rescue Department in upholding public safety and well-being have improved over the years with a wider scope of roles and responsibilities as stated in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2002 Amendments).

Apart from their traditional function of putting out fires, the scope of work has increased to include rescue and humanitarian aid operations which according to observation of calls received on the emergency hotline nowadays outnumber those for putting out fires, said Pg Harris.

Yesterday, 82 trainee personnel, including two cadet officers, officially graduated from the basic training. The cadets and trainees were also presented with awards for their excellence in certain fields of the training programme.

The cadet officers, who graduated from the Cadet Officer Training Course Series Four 2007/2008 and the 42nd Squad of Male Trainees 2007/2008, completed over 360 hours of training for the cadet officers and 720 hours for the male trainees.

The training consisted of both practical and theory-based programmes designed to educate and train the participants by developing them mentally, spiritually and physically to handle the job requirements.

The programmes also included lessons on emergency responses and first aid practices, which were conducted by the Medical and Health Services Department.

Present at yesterday's ceremony was the Director of Fire and Rescue Department, Lt Col (U) Yahya Hj Abd Rahman.

Also present were senior government officers and the families of the graduates.

The Brunei Times