SELANGOR fire and rescue personnel were unable to provide aid in flooded areas in the state simultaneously due to a shortage of manpower and the deluge of calls for help, a top official from the department said.

Hulu Langat Zone 4 operations officer Mohamad Akmal Mohamad Khairi said he was sad and disappointed at accusations levelled at rescue personnel for taking too long to go to flood victims’ aid.

“How can we be in 10 places at the same time?” he asked.

“There are only seven to 12 people working per shift. When there is an emergency, we receive non-stop phone calls not only on the direct line but also on our handphones,” he said in a statement on WhatApp, in response to social media attacks on the department.

The Selangor state unit has deployed 1,800 officers and men for its flood operations. In Taman Sri Muda, 140 are working to rescue residents.

The post comes after rescue personnel have been accused of being too slow to come to the aid of flood victims, some of whom spent days stranded on rooftops in areas such as Shah Alam and Klang.

Akmal said when faced with so many distress calls, they often prioritise those that came in first.

“At the time, there was limited time and opportunity for us to act. We had limited manpower and assets as well. One rescue team had to field hundreds of calls,” he said. 

“We had to prioritise cases that we could respond based on the risks.”

Despite the various challenges, he said the department’s personnel did their best to save the flood victims.

“We didn’t have a boat, but we were willing to carry the victims to safety. But it is what it is, we will not be able to please everyone,” he said.

While on duty, rescue personnel also did not have the luxury of record their efforts just to show the public that they are working, Akmal said.

“We have no time to record videos or take pictures while on duty,” he said.

Akmal also recalled an incident in 2018 where six fire and rescue staff members drowned while trying to rescue a teenager in a disused mining pool. 

“We take great risks to save lives. The six who drowned have left a deep scar in all of us. Only God knows how we feel,” he said.

On the ongoing rescue operations, Akmal said the staff have been working overtime without any compensation for the sake of public safety.

“I have to be present in emergency locations regardless of time. Be it midnight, early morning, off days or rest days, because that is the nature of the job,” he said.

“Sometimes, we forgo our breaks to spend time with our wife and children. We put aside our exhaustion because we know our job is not done. 

“But when we show up to help, there’s hardly any appreciation for what we do. Instead, we were accused of being late, slow, lazy. 

He said the public needs to understand that rescue personnel are human, too.

“We, too, have families, a limit to our capabilities and feelings. Please think before you say anything,” he said.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob’s administration bore the brunt of the anger and frustration of the public for its late response in helping flood victims.

Yesterday, he admitted that the government was slow in providing aid to the victims and told all relevant agencies to step it up. – December 22, 2021.