RANAU: The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) will soon have a fire station that is probably located at the highest point in the world.
At the altitude of more than 3,382.2 metres above sea level, the fire station or the Mountain Search and Rescue Force Operations Centre (Mosar) will be set up at the former hostel building in Gunting Lagadan Hut, Mount Kinabalu which was vacated after the 2015 earthquake.
When operational, it will be the only fire station at such a high altitude in Malaysia, thus making history as the first mountain rescue operation centre in the world to be fully operated by the government.
Sabah JBPM deputy director Farhan Sufyan said, since Mosar was established in 2015, following the earthquake in Mount Kinabalu on June 5, 2015, there is no special building that is suitable for the operational needs of the unit.
He said currently the Mosar team was only stationed at the accommodation room in the Panalaban area and there are 42 personnel responsible for emergencies and disasters along the route to the summit of Mount Kinabalu.
"We have done a survey on the current Mosar centre in Panalaban and it is not suitable and needs improvement.
"Therefore, based on our initial discussions with Sabah Parks (TTS), they have proposed that Gunting Lagadan Hut be made the location of Mosar's operations.
"However, there are some things that we need to check again in terms of security and assets or movement and further discussions will be held with TTS," he said when met at Gunting Lagadan, Mount Kinabalu, yesterday.
Farhan and the Kudat Zone 3 Fire Superintendent Sahidih Mahali along with 15 officers and members of JBPM Sabah started the climb on January 22, to monitor Mosar's work on Mount Kinabalu.
The climb which was officiated by the state director Md Ali Ismail also aims to further strengthen the strategic cooperation between JBPM Sabah and TTS in rescue aspects, through the creation of Mosar.
"Mosar's membership and standard operating procedures (SOPs) will also be reviewed to provide more effective services.
"We are planning several locations along the route for staging areas to ensure the level of stability of victims from time to time."
From 2016 until yesterday, a total 259 rescue cases were carried out involving climbers descending from Mount Kinabalu.
Most cases were due to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), extreme cold and injuries.