Illegal encroachments on the side and back lanes of public roads are posing a significant hazard to emergency response efforts, particularly for the Fire and Rescue Department.
Rampant obstruction by parked cars, illegal structures and roadside businesses continue to hinder their operations.
This is despite the department’s strict requirement of having a 6m-wide clearance for fire engines and rescue vehicles to pass through.
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Rampant obstruction by parked cars, illegal structures and roadside businesses continue to hinder their operations.
This is despite the department’s strict requirement of having a 6m-wide clearance for fire engines and rescue vehicles to pass through.
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00Firefighting operations in Malaysia are being severely hampered by illegal encroachments
00:07on public roads and lanes, according to fire officials.
00:11The Fire and Rescue Department requires a six-metre clearance for their emergency vehicles,
00:16but parked cars, illegal structures and roadside businesses frequently block these critical
00:21access routes.
00:23Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department Director, Senior Assistant Fire Commissioner Hassan
00:28As'ari Omar, said these obstructions pose a serious threat during emergencies when rapid
00:34response is crucial.
00:35There is a lot of concern about access when it comes to encroachments.
00:45If it involves access to bombs, access to bomber jets, according to our law, UK, it
00:55is 146 metres.
00:57The Uniform Building By-laws or UBBL 1984, amended in 2021, is a nationwide regulation
01:04under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, outlining requirements for fire appliance
01:11access to ensure effective firefighting and rescue operations.
01:15It mandates a minimum six-metre width for access ways to accommodate emergency vehicles.
01:21Hassan clarified that this requirement applies to all public areas, including side lanes
01:27and back lanes.
01:29Any obstruction, whether from illegal extensions, furniture, trees, planters or any other obstructions,
01:36constitutes an offence.
01:37It's not just buildings, it's not just additional buildings, even trees, any obstacles that
01:44may obstruct access to bombs, we are very concerned about it because it disrupts rescue
01:52operations or fire extinguishing operations.
01:55It may, when there is an access obstruction, there is a high possibility of a delay in
02:05the operation.
02:07It is difficult for bomber jets to enter, it is difficult for firefighters to perform
02:14their operations because there is an obstruction.
02:17To address these challenges, the department has launched several initiatives.
02:22The Teman Pilih Bomba, or Friend of Hydrants Program, encourages residents to monitor nearby
02:28hydrants against misuse.
02:30The department also conducts educational outreach across all community levels, from kindergartens
02:37to local neighbourhoods, teaching fire safety and emergency response.
02:42We have Teman Pilih Bomba, to teach and educate the community so that they love Pilih Bomba,
02:52so that Pilih Bomba is always in good condition, functional and can be used.
03:00When there is a problem with Pilih Bomba, they should always contact nearby hydrants
03:06as they know that Pilih Bomba can be damaged.
03:10Pilih Bomba is a very important weapon for firefighters.
03:18Water access is another critical concern.
03:21Fire teams rely on both hydrants and alternative water sources, such as rivers and lakes.
03:27We have two water sources.
03:30The first is the water source from Pilih Bomba, which is our weapon.
03:35The second is the open water source, such as rivers, lakes, lakes and so on.
03:45If there is no Pilih Bomba in the incident area, we will look for where the open water source is.
03:54It can be used as a weapon to put out the fire.
04:01Based on 2024 data, Kuala Lumpur has 18,424 fire hydrants,
04:07comprising 12,280 public hydrants and 6,144 private hydrants.
04:14Public hydrants are painted red, while private hydrants are painted yellow to distinguish them.
04:20Hassan says the department has conducted 20,505 inspections on all hydrants
04:27to ensure they were in working condition,
04:29with some hydrants being inspected more than once.
04:33Under Section 26 of the Fire Services Act 1988,
04:37concealing or tampering with fire hydrants is illegal.
04:41Anyone who conceals or tampers with or blocks the Pilih Bomba
04:46is committing a crime and can be compounded.
04:51We can take action under the Fire Services Act.
04:54We can compound them.
04:57If the compound is not paid, we can take the case to court.
05:03If the compound is not paid, we can take the case to court.
05:12Hassan also said that while they continue to raise public awareness
05:16and maintain dialogue with authorities about these challenges,
05:19community involvement is essential for protecting this critical emergency infrastructure.
05:33For more UN videos visit www.un.org