RANAU: It is necessary to have state and federal rescue agencies respond to emergency cases at high altitude areas, said Sabah Parks director Dr Maklarin Lakim.
He said the police was more knowledgeable as they would lead search and rescue operations when a disaster struck.
By having all agencies on board, he added that disaster management could be handled more efficiently and effectively at every level.
On June 5, 2015, a 6.0 earthquake killed four mountain guides and 14 climbers at Mount Kinabalu.
"After the earthquake, Sabah Parks collaborated with the state Fire and Rescue department to boost rescue capabilities especially for mountain climbing activities.
"For now, the high altitude rescue team at Mount Kinabalu comprising park rangers, search and rescue (SAR) team, the fire department's Mountain Search and Rescue (MOSAR), mountain guides and porters.
"This will not be enough if a similar earthquake recurs," he said during the closing of a SAR simulation exercise here.
Present was Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment permanent secretary Datuk Yusrie Abdullah.
The simulation, which is the third series, is held once every two years except during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, Maklarin said the two-day exercise that began yesterday focused on two scenarios - at the peak of Mount Kinabalu and the community village area.
He added that the main objective of the simulation was to strengthen the coordination of SAR at the mountain so that the response time for rescue efforts could be shortened and better coordinated.
"To achieve such an objective, the physical and mental resilience of each rescue member must be at the maximum level. The use of SAR rescue assets and logistics must also be at the optimum level.
"I believe the two scenarios that were meticulously planned via meetings involving federal, state and even community rescue teams provided an invaluable input for all.
"The results of this simulation will allow improvements to be made for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Mount Kinabalu climbing."
In his closing speech, Yusrie had suggested that the upcoming SAR simulations include helicopters, drones or using geospatial analysis techniques to obtain earthquake impacts.