JOHOR BARU: Malaysians’ interest in becoming firefighters has hit a peak with about 50,000 chasing after 1,500 vacancies for the men in red.

       “This is the highest number ever,” said Fire and Rescue Depart-ment director-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Hamdan Wahid (pic).

       Previously, the department would get about 30,000 applications annually for about 650 jobs.

       The department has a strict vetting process, which includes physical tests and written and face-to-face interviews, he said.

       “We hire the best to become a fireman. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, since 2020 all our annual intakes had been frozen.

       “This means, each year we were unable to replace those retiring, which number about 200 to 300 firemen and officers,” he said.

       This is why there is now an urgent need to fill up some 1,500 vacancies nationwide.

       In Johor alone, he said there are about 200 vacancies, while the rest are spread out in Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor.

       Asked whether the manpower shortage disrupts operations or response times, he said the situation is manageable for now.

       However, he acknowledged that the vacancies have to be filled as fast as possible as they need personnel to man 18 fire stations which are being built between this year and the next.

       “Each fire station will require at least 28 personnel to run it round the clock,” he said.

       The department presently has about 15,000 personnel in 327 fire stations nationwide.

       He said there is also a major promotion exercise being carried out now as next year at least 18 senior fire officers – including five state directors and himself – will be retiring.

       In an interview with The Star, Mohammad Hamdan said that the keen interest in becoming firemen among Malaysians could also be partly fuelled by people seeking jobs amid an economy weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

       For now, he said that all four training centres nationwide are operating at their peak.

       The first batch of about 970 graduates will finish their basic four-and-a-half months training in July.

       “We will have more personnel graduating in September and December,” he said, adding that these include officers who had to undergo training for six to nine months.

       He said the basic salary for a fireman with an SPM certificate is RM1,360 while an officer’s salary is RM1,820 for those with a diploma; degree holders earn RM2,100.

       Mohammad Hamdan also said career prospects are good as there are many disciplines (or specialisations) in the service.

       “Gone are the days that people looked for a fireman to just help put out fires or bring down a trapped cat,” he said.

       He explained that firemen are now branching out into other types of work, including those related to fire science, fire engineering, fire forensics and investigations, and hazardous materials handling.

       Others include building safety audits, fire research and development, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies, aircraft and aeronautical engineering, aircraft and UAV manoeuvring and piloting, pre-hospital care, and forest fire science.

       Future challenges include urban and wilderness search and rescue operations, high-rise buildings technologies and hazards, oil and gas fires, exposure risks involving renewable energy and electric vehicle technologies, underground and tunnel incidents, mass evacuation in densely populated areas, aviation emergency incidents in public facilities, and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) emergencies.

       “The role of the fireman is constantly evolving. In the recent Klang Valley floods, we not only handled search and rescue operations and evacuations, we were also distributing food to victims,” he added.

       He said they are now working with the Public Service Department to expand firemen’s incentives to benefit those doing 12-hour and 24-hour shifts.

       Those doing 12-hour shifts earn an additional RM110 per month while those on 24-hour shifts draw RM220.

       Mohammad Hamdan said that they are also trying to finalise details on a special allowance for their 120 fire department trainers. This was announced by the Prime Minister during International Firefighters’ Day on May 4.

       Other allowances include incentive payments to the Hazardous Materials Unit and Water Rescue Unit of RM30 per operation and up to RM600 monthly as well as incentives for the Emergency Rescue Services that will be paid as a pro-rated payment of RM150 a month.