KOTA KINABALU: Civil Defence personnel should be included in the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), suggests Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) said with the basic training given to volunteers in the department, as well as on-the-ground experience of its personnel, it should be taken in as part of the SMART team.
He, however, said a comprehensive plan had to be drawn up so that the existing manpower would not be reduced.
He said hiring new staff or recruiting more volunteers for the department could be among the considerations made.
“We hope more Malaysians are willing to sign up as Civil Defence volunteers,” Armizan said at an event with the State Civil Defence officials and volunteers here yesterday.
He said that in Sabah, more than 196,000 people had so far joined and trained as Civil Defence volunteers.
As minister at the federal level from Sabah, he said he would try his best to ensure the state Civil Defence Department gets more priority in asset and fund distributions.
“Some 100 units of new ambulances for rescue and emergency usage are expected to be bought and distributed to the department by July 2024, out of which Sabah and Sarawak will get 15 units each,” he said.