Labuan Fire Dept HQ ready in January

LABUAN: Come January, the RM40 million Labuan Fire and Rescue Department headquarters is scheduled for completion.
Labuan Fire and Rescue Department director Zainal Madasin said the building spread over a 14ha land in Rancha-Rancha would have a state-of-the art building equipped with advanced safety equipment.
He said over 52% of the construction was complete. The construction of the building under the 11th Malaysia Plan commenced early this year.
"The project is part of the construction of a total of 16 fire and rescue departments nationwide, which has been approved for next year," he told Bernama after visiting the site here today.
Zainal said the headquarters would be equipped with an emergency operations room to cater to the fast-growing oil and gas industry within the high-risk Rancha-Rancha industrial zone.
"The project involves significant capital expense and will certainly be a boost to rescue operations in this duty-free-island here," he said, adding that a helicopter unit had been approved by the department's headquarters and a suitable site was being identified.
"We are in discussions with Malaysia Airports Berhad to be allocated a site for our helicopter. We hope the Labuan member of parliament can assist us on the matter."
Zainal said the helicopter could also assist in mercy flight operations for critical patients to be transferred to hospitals in the mainland; search and rescue operations or battle fires in isolated high-risk areas. — Bernama