The house at Taman Hungab in Penampang destroyed in the fire.
KOTA KINABALU: The address given by a caller to the MERS 999 (Malaysia Emergency Reaction System) in the fire incident which claimed the life of four family members at Taman Hungab in Penampang on September 7 was incorrect which caused the delay in the arrival of firefighters.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Md Ali Ismail said based on their record, the Penampang Fire and Rescue station responded to the distress call at 2.52am and arrived at the scene at 3.04am.
Md Ali however said incorrect information was the main cause of their delay.
“The fire had spread from the ground floor to the first floor upon the arrival of firefighters.
“Investigation found that the fire started on the ground floor from an electrical short-circuit and spread quickly to the upper floor. We also believed the fire started at around 2.32am,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Md Ali added the four victims were believed aware of the fire, but were unable to escape as they could not open the padlock at the grille of the emergency window.
The victims were identified as Matthew Wong, 50; his wife Jecky Vun Kon Fung, 48; and their sons Brendan Wong, 18; and Eric Wong, 15.
Md Ali said there were four calls received by the MERS999 Call Center. The first call was received in Melaka at 2.49:01am and the second call was at 2.49:02am.
He said there are three call centers throughout Malaysia, namely in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Kuching, whereby one of the call centers would receive any emergency call via 999.
He said the MERS 999 Call Center staff had obtained information on the caller’s name and telephone number, type of emergency, and address and location of the incident.
This information will then be channeled through the Computer Aided Delivery System (CAD) to Sabah Fire and Rescue Department Operations Center (PGO) and the Penampang Fire and Rescue station.
“Bomba received the information at 2.52am and immediately deployed teams to the location, while at the same time the MERS999 Call Center continued to receive the call to obtain further information, which is based on the Fire Protocol,” said Md Ali.
Following the protocol, additional information will be channeled to the Sabah PGO from time to time which will enable firefighters to plan their operation on the ground, said Md Ali.
Hajiji on Thursday called for the MERS 999 standard operating procedure to be improved so that the fate that befell the four family members is not repeated.
He said that the incident was very upsetting because safety issues such as a fire should not be referred to Kuala Lumpur first and it wasted time (that could be used) to rescue the victims.
“When the call is known to be from Sabah and there is an emergency, why is it not connected directly to the relevant authority such as the fire station at the district or state that is involved or give a telephone number that can be contacted?” he admonished in a statement.
“There is no need to ask too many questions because each call to the MERS 999 is without any doubt related to an emergency. We must be sensitive to the situation and in an emergency, of course panic will result and there is no time to give all the information needed.
“I hope the SOP in the MERS 999 is changed and made easier including directly connecting the calls to the number or district of state that is involved,” he said.