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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

BR1M is timely aid for needy
Annual fire drill ensures systematic safety goals are met
M-CDERT volunteers prepared to conduct emergency response after intense training

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:34 PM PDT

JOHOR BARU: The government's cash aid of RM500 via the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) has brought cheer to thousands of recipients especially those in the lower income group.

Many describe the aid as a lifeline to help ease the rising cost of living and hope that the Barisan Nasional government will consider increasing the amount to RM1,000 after the general election.

For retiree Nazaruddin Abdullah, 75, the money came in handy especially when purchasing medication for his high blood pressure.

"These days everything is expensive and with my meagre income as a pensioner it is sometimes difficult for us to cope sometimes.

"I hope that the RM500 will be increased in future," he added.

Accountant Amir Abdullah, 28, hopes that the Government would ease on the requirements that would allow more Malaysians to enjoy the money.

He added that the middle-income earners, who are mostly graduates, also felt the pinch due to financial commitments.

"We need to pay for our car loans, house rent, bills, and even monthly shopping.

"If the Government lowers the requirements to apply for the BR1M aid it would surely help us," he said.

Trader Tan Kim Sing, 53, said the BR1M aid had helped him purchase books for his three school going children.

"Nowadays books are expensive and this money came in handy," he said.

Housewife Vicky Ong, 39, said she was grateful with the BR1M aid, as it had helped her family financially.

"It has helped me in purchasing the necessary items and groceries for the family.

"Now since the Government is going to make the BR1M annual, it will definitely help improve the lives of people," she added.

Taxi driver V. Vicknesh, 45, said the money would help people purchase essential items including groceries and even medication.

"It also shows that the government is strong financially and is able to give back to the people," he said, hoping for the aid to be made twice annually.

Meanwhile, in Batu Pahat cleaner Fatimah Umar, 44, who received the RM500 said the money came in handy for people like her who had debts.

"I am from a poor family. Part of the money was used to pay debts while the rest was used to buy food for my family.

"I'm really thankful to the government for the cash aid and now with the minimum wage of RM900, my family and I are living a bit more comfortable now," said the mother of three children.

A. Cornalius, 60, hoped that the government would continue with the aid as it was a good programme to help the poor.

"I hope the government will consider giving more due to the rising cost of living," said the father of two daughters who were studying in local universities.

He added that he used the money to help his eldest daughter who is studying in Sarawak.

Single mother Joyce Koh, 42, said the money had helped her especially in raising her three school going children aged 11, 15 and 16.

"Nowadays, everything is so expensive, my salary is barely enough to pay for food, transportation, books and other expenses.

Koh said the RM500 cash aid that she received early this year came just in time to help with expenses during Chinese New Year celebrations in February.

Teong Ha Hiang, 74, who sell noodles at a food court here, said the cash aid was a big angpow for her and her husband.

"I am very happy. My husband and I bought extra food that we like to eat," she said.

Teong said her husband, who is also 74, was not working and her earnings from selling noodles was barely enough to cover rent and their daily expenses due to her age and limitations.

Housewife Chin Nyok Fah said she was thankful to the Government for such initiative.

"We have never expected that we will get such help and we are really happy," she said.

Chin said her husband, a tailor, was a sole breadwinner for their family and they have three children aged 18, 16 and 10, who is a special child.

She added that she used the money to buy milk powder for her children and pay tuition fees.

In Muar, single mother Juriah Abdul Rahim, 70, said the special cash aid was a lot of money for her as she planned to repair her house which had been infested with termites.

"I have yet to spend a single sen of the second payment, which I received several weeks ago as I wanted to replace the wooden planks of my house.

"I am waiting for my son to help out with some cash," she said when met at house along Jalan Tol Raja near Jalan Salleh here.

Juriah, a widow and lives with her daughter Rozita Mokhtar, 40, who is also a widow, said she used the first BR1M to buy a fan and some foodstuff for her house.

She said the Government should continue with the aid scheme as it meant a lot to single mothers like her who had to depend on her son for her needs.

Meanwhile, fisherman Mohd Sapri Hussin, 50, said the Government had been very caring in providing the people with many financial aid schemes.

He said besides the BR1M aid he also received the monthly aid of RM200 which the Government gave to fishermen and subsidised fuel for his fishing vessel.

"We are grateful to the Government and hope the BR1M aid will be given out every year," he said.

For taxi driver C. Maliali, 62, a former soldier, the BR1M aid had helped in easing some of his financial burden in view of the high food prices today.

"At the same time I also have to care for a sick wife and the cash aid means a lot to me.

"I hope the Government can increase the amount next year," he added.

Annual fire drill ensures systematic safety goals are met

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:36 PM PDT

MALACCA: Blaring sirens and flashing lights of the state Fire and Rescue Department brought the busy traffic in Taman Melaka Raya to a standstill, as fire engines made their way to the open car park area at Mahkota Parade here, upon receiving a "distress call of a fire" at the shopping centre.

Shoppers and passers-by quickly gathered to see hundreds of tenants and staff scurrying for safety after seeing "black smoke" billowing from the roof top of the Mahkota Parade building.

All of them headed towards the assembly points where head counts and inspections were done by the mall's in-house and trained emergency response team to ensure everyone's safety.

Mahkota Parade's marketing executive, Candy Lee said it was a fire drill involving all of the centre's tenants and their employees.

"The objective of the drill is to provide tactical experience, sufficient knowledge and training for the staff and tenants so as to empower them to calmly face and handle all circumstances that might arise during emergencies," she said.

Lee said the drill was also part of an annual procedure and is a manifestation of the management's continuous efforts to ensure that it was in line with its goals on safety and security.

The drill also tested the effectiveness of the plan and helped spot any weaknesses in the evacuation strategy.

It also enhanced the emergency response mechanism to sudden serious accidents that might happen anytime.

"Conducting fire drills help us to measure our reaction towards a real mishap, identify the areas of improvement and practice a systematic approach of response to a real situation which could be chaotic and also to minimise the amount of negative impact and losses occurred," explained Makhota Parade general manager Mior Abdul Rahman.

M-CDERT volunteers prepared to conduct emergency response after intense training

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:35 PM PDT

MALACCA: A strong 624 volunteers of Malacca's Civil Defence Emergency Response Teams (M-CDERT) are now fully ready to serve in any contingencies following in-depth training and convincing success recorded during a "real-life'' emergency response exercise held in 2012.

M-CDERT chief Colonel Joshua Albert Goh said since establishment in September 2011, his team had made tremendous progress in terms of rescue works and attending to emergencies.

"Our volunteers come from all walks of life while we now comprise 60 M-CDERT squads abiding to the motto "Serving My Family, My Community and My Nation with Civil Defence"," he said.

Goh said M-CDERT was the first non-Governmental Organisation specialising in emergency rescue in Malaysia to conduct an emergency response and rescue exercise that was held in Nov 12, last year.

He said volunteers previously with zero knowledge in fire-fighting, rescue or First Aid were now equipped with the right expertise to attend to any of such emergencies.

Volunteers, he said had to attend Civil Defence basic skills training sessions conducted on Sundays and each of them did so religiously until they acquired the right skills.

Goh said before the rescue exercise the volunteers committed to be first responders trained for 10 Sundays right before they took part in the surprise mock rescue mission.

He explained that "real-life" meant that no one in M-CDERT or anyone in State Civil Defence Department had any inkling of when the exercise would be activated.

"Under such circumstances, we put our volunteers on test of their adeptness in arranging and planning the logistics and arriving to the 'scene' in the stipulated time," he said.

Goh said the M-CDERT exercise was totally different from other similar mocked rescue events where tents at the "scene" would be affixed while other people assembling at the site even before the volunteers arrive.

"In a nutshell, the volunteers would know where to go and what to do but M-CDERT exercise was different, our members had no clue or details of the 'emergency scene' and only asked to follow their instruction of their superiors once the alert was activated," he said.

Goh said the first alert was raised by Department's director of logistic officer Rsolan Wahab at 6.35am on that day.

He revealed that the first responder arrived at 6.45am and 32% of M-CDERT members arrived at "scene" at 7.30am before the figure swelled gradually.

"Within 90 minutes, 90% of the responders arrived at the 'scene" and even full-timer from the department was overwhelmed by M-CDERT volunteers as its members do not receive a single allowance and yet all ot them responded promptly," he added.

Goh said it was heartening to witness that the outstanding performance of volunteers in fire-fighting, rescue and first-aid functions in a scenario of the emergency exercise where a vehicle had plunged into a ravine before bursting into flame while the driver and passengers were injured.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 28 Mac 2013