By BERNARD CHEAH
PETALING JAYA (March 17, 2019): At the dawn of Sept 14,
2017, a fire razed down a religious (tahfiz) school on Jalan Datuk Keramat,
killing 23 students and teachers living inside.
A year later, an elderly couple and their son were killed in
a fire in Munombok, Sabah, after the wooden house they were sleeping in caught
fire.
In Feb 20 this year, six people turned up dead with two critically
injured after the fourth floor of an entertainment outlet along Jalan Raja Dr
Nazrin Shah in Ipoh, Perak was destroyed by fire.
Fire, is almost a daily occurrence which can happened
anywhere, anytime – a tragedy which takes away homes, valuables and even lives
from Malaysians in the process.
The question we must ask ourselves, is whether it is a
rising trend in our country?
Statistics from the Fire and Rescue Department collected
between 2012 and 2016 from the department’s annual reports found of its
website, the number of fire cases have seen an increase in those five years.
While the number of cases in 2012 was at 29,848 cases
nationwide, the figure increased to 49,875 cases in 2016. This shows an
increase of 298% - almost three times the number of fire cases as compared to 2012.
The number of fire cases between these years is at 33,640 cases in 2013, 54,450
cases (2014) and 40,865 cases (2015). Of all the five years, 2013 saw the
highest in number of fire cases.
According to the 2016 Fire and Rescue Department Annual
Report, the top five types of fires dealt by the department are bush fires,
building fires, forest fires, vehicle fires, and rubbish fires.
The average estimated cost of losses due to five during the
same time period is RM2.62 bil.
In 2012, out of the 29,848 cases, some 953 victims were
rescued, while 119 perish in the fires in the same year. Moving forward to
2016, the number of victims rescued is 1,558 people, with 107 people perish.
Calculating the figures for five years, there is a trend
which sees that despite an increase number of fires in the years, there mortality
rates have decreased. Calculating the percentage of victims saved and killed in
fire throughout the five years, 2012 saw 11.09% of deaths due to fire. However,
over the years, the percentage decreased to below 10% - 9.24% in 2013, 9.88% (2014),
8.83% (2015), and 6.43% (2016).
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The Bintang Post has tried to contact Director General Datuk
Mohammad Hamdan Wahid to comment on the statistics. However, at press time, he
was busy monitoring the teams involved in the toxic dump incident in Pasir
Gudang, Johor.
However, the findings of the statistics were forwarded to a
spokesperson from the Fire and Rescue Department in Putrajaya. He affirmed that
there is enough public awareness on fire safety amongst the community.
“The trend shows that the public is more aware of the fire
safety systems installed in buildings, and have ensured that these mechanisms
are well-maintained,” he said.
The spokesperson, who agreed to speak in exchange of anonymity,
said Fire and Rescue Department’s also noted that the department’s Offensive
Fire Fighting method and usage of safety equipment, including the personal
protection equipment enabled fire fighters to rescue victims trapped in burning
buildings.
“However, more can be done by the public to prevent fires
(and deaths) in the country,” he added.
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