KOTA KINABALU: It is high time for standard operating procedures (SOP) of the Malaysian Emergency Response System (MERS-999) be changed, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

       He said on Thursday (Sept 9), a day after other leaders’ also questioned the routing of emergency calls in Sabah via Putrajaya in separate statements on Wednesday (Sept 8).

       The push for a better SOP was made following claims of firemen arriving late at a fire in Kampung Hungab on Tuesday (Sept 7), where a family perished.

       "Why can’t emergency calls be directly put through the relevant authorities like fire stations of the respective district or State," he said.

       He therefore hoped that procedures would be reviewed and simplified, including directing distress calls directly to the relevant district or State.

       The push for a better SOP was made following claims of firemen arriving late Sabah Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson claimed the centralised 999 call centre within Malaysia was a faster way to get help, as the location of the caller was pinged on the centre’s system.

       The victims, Matthew Wong (50 years old) and his wife Jecky Vun Kon Fong (47) along with their sons Brandon (18) and Eric (15), were believed to have been trapped in the house.