Johor: Mohd Saifulizam Mohd Salleh has been a firefighter for 23 years. However, putting out fires and rescuing victims are not the only things he does for a living.The 45-year-old is also a skilled barber. In fact, he even has his very own shop. "The Fire Barbershop" was opened in Bandar Baru Uda in May 2017.
He first learned barbering in 1996. It became a passion and skill that he decided to hone to supplement his income as a firefighter.
"At the time, my basic salary was only RM382, so the additional income was a lot of help," he told Bernama when met recently.
However, in 2016, he realised that the business had good potential for development and, thus, decided to open his own shop.
Mohd Saifulizam who hails from Muar, Johor started working with the Johor Baru Fire and Rescue Department on March 15, 1995 and is now a Senior Fire Officer II.
He rented half a shop when he first opened his barbering business and could only take three customers at a time. Today, his shop is much bigger and he has hired four staff to cater to the increasing number of customers.
He has also decided to make his shop more family-friendly by adding a corner for waiting family members as well as a special section for women called the "Hijab Salon".
"We feel that our customers' comfort is important, so we provide them with a spacious waiting area, a lounge and Wi-Fi access.
"We want our customers – especially the children – to be as comfortable as possible as the latter tend to be rather nervous during haircuts. So we let them play in the shop first and warm up to the place before their haircut," Mohd Saifulizam explained.
The Fire Barbershop opens from 10am to 10pm daily and also provides "house calls" to customers who prefer to have their hair cut in the comfort of their own homes.
"Sometimes we get customers who want us to come over – particularly those who are not well enough to travel. We charge them according to distance as well as services rendered," he said.
Barbering appears to be an interest that is also shared by Mohd Saifulizam's wife and son.
His wife Norasykin Nordin, 43, runs the Hijab Salon.
She took a two-year hairdressing course before deciding on taking in her own customers.
"When my husband first came up with the idea, I was a bit hesitant. I was a seamstress but my husband persuaded me to join his business and sent me to a hairdressing course. I eventually became confident enough in my abilities to join him," she revealed.
Their son, Arif Rahimi, 18, said his interest in barbering surfaced when he saw the unique hairstyles of popular footballers.
At age 16, he decided to learn to learn from his father the tricks of the trade.
Today, Arif has his own regular customers from among the players of the Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) Football Club.
"I first promoted my services to them by messaging them through social media. Syafiq Ahmad was my first customer. Today, nine footballers from JDT as well as the team manager are my regular customers," he said.
Having his own business has not stopped Mohd Saifulizam's from serving as a firefighter. His family would take over the shop when he is on duty.
However, some of his loyal customers only want to be attended by him so they are willing to delay their appointment until he is free or on leave.
He also provides internships for community college students with the Malaysian Skills Certificate. He has so far taken in two college students for practical training at his shop.
Mohd Saifulizam is also planning to come up with a programme to recruit new talents in barbering as there is currently marked interest within society in the vocation. - Bernama
