The 95th World Civil Defence Day was celebrated globally on March 1st, with the theme “Managing Environmental Risks for a Resilient and Sustainable Future”. The theme resonates greatly with the Malaysian Civil Defence Force’s roles and responsibilities.
Hence the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the government will beef up training and preparedness of APM personnel is much welcomed and is a timely boost for the force.
Upskilling the force, to mitigate challenges will most definitely aid and assist APM personnel in discharging their duties. This, as my brothers and sisters in the force, are always among the first alongside other uniformed personnel to respond to emergencies such as floods, fires or landslides, carrying the banner of “service before self”.
Equipping them with additional practical and theoretical knowledge will go a long way in protecting themselves and safeguarding others considering the ever-changing challenges of climate change and complexity in disaster risks.
Now, what really hurts me is at times, the public, are oblivious to the existence of the close to 75 years old Malaysian Civil Defence Force, and to make matters worse some throw negative jibes at the responsibilities of the force.
The Malaysian Civil Defence Force, among other duties, handles disaster management, provides humanitarian services, educates the civilian population on civil defence and trains them for civil defence purposes. They also have a specialised disaster and emergency response team, Pasukan Khas Pertahanan Awam (PASPA), which specialises in search and rescue operations.
In light of World Civil Defence Day , I urge all to respect, honour and appreciate the sacrifices of the Civil Defence Force and uniformed personnel, who have tirelessly and selflessly given their all in the name of the Jalur Gemilang.
This article was written by Yeap Ming Liong, Associate Captain, Malaysian Civil Defence Force.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Capital Post.
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