Speed up on critical allowance for fire dept personnel, says Noh

PETALING JAYA: The government should speed up efforts to implement the critical allowance scheme for fire and rescue personnel, according to Barian Nasional's (BN) shadow minister of housing and local government, Tan Sri Noh Omar.
Noh said the allowance is an important acknowledgement on the efforts of firefighters and to place the Fire and Rescue Department in the same category as other enforcement agencies.
"Firefighters are unsung heroes. Their tasks nowadays are more challenging and unpredictable," he said.
"They carry a serious duty towards the people, and often are in risk of danger as any other enforcement agencies.
"I hope the Pakatan Harapan Government will continue to defend the welfare of firefighters and also soon implement the critical allowance scheme that was approved when I was the Minister (of Housing and Local Government)," he added.
On June 21, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said her ministry had prepared a working paper on the critical allowance scheme for fire and rescue personnel, which was subject to the Cabinet's approval.
She said the government needed to be cautious and adopt austerity measures in its expenditure, following the country's weak financial position due to the burden of the national debt of over RM1 trillion.
The recent deaths of six firefighters while on a search and rescue mission for a missing teenager in a mining pool at Taman Putra Perdana in Puchong on Oct 4, has prompted calls for higher appreciation of the Fire and Rescue Department.
The divers were Mohd Fatah Hashim, 34; Izatul Akma Wan Ibrahim, 32; Mazlan Omarbaki, 25, and Yahya Ali, 24, from the Water Rescue Unit of the Port Klang Fire and Rescue station.
The other two victims were Adnan Othman, 33, and Muhammad Hifdzul Malik Shaari, 25, from the Shah Alam Fire and Rescue station.