Bandar Seri Begawan - The roles of the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) is getting challenging and the department is actively strengthening its capabilities to meet the department's mission needs, which is to reduce the rate of fire incidents and take professional actions to attend to any emergency calls in line with the development and current needs.

Their responsibilities now and the future is more challenging and risky thus there is a need to reach an emergency location and practise endurance, perseverance and strength in life-threatening situations to save lives and properties involved.

In seeing these needs, 10 personnel of FRD is participating in the International Search and Rescue Exercise (ISM 2012) in Timah Tasoh, Perlis, Malaysia that began yesterday until November 29.

A flag handing ceremony took place yesterday prior to their departure at the Brunei International Airport, officiated by the FRD Director Awg Yahya Hj Abd Rahman who handed the national flag to team leader, FRD Superintendent Pg Azizul Rahman Pg Hj Yusop.

Also in attendance were senior officers, members and staff of FRD. Following the handover, a Doa was recited by Ustaz Mohd Rosman Hj Bara, a religious teacher at FRD, to bless the departing team.

Organised by the Malaysian Safety Council and the French Embassy, the event serves to establish the spirit of cooperation among rescue teams in the management of search and rescue operations and as a platform to exchange knowledge and skills in the use of equipment and rescue tactics.

The 10 personnel consist of members of the Special Squad who will be training with the SMART Malaysia Team and Dart Singapore. The training scenario will involve a sudden natural disaster causing casualties/ fatalities and damages to properties including surrounding causing interruption of daily activities.

Incidents such as these require a management involving sources, equipment and special skills from various rescue agencies local and abroad.

Throughout the training, they will be also exposed to several challenging scenario that will test their skills, team spirits as well as physical endurance and mentality in facing the challenges ahead such as rescuing victims from a collapsed building, search and rescue in caves and water.

With the availability of such training, it will provide exposure to the FRD personnel as they gain knowledge and exchange information and experiences in rescue operation management that will then indirectly strengthen ties among the participating countries.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin