PUTRAJAYA: While part of the on-air team at Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) Sabah, Frediana Kamilis would have read out news reports involving firefighters – now she is one them.
Talking about her career change in July 2017, she said she was welcomed into the fold after enduring 11 months of gruelling training at the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) academy in Kuala Kubu Bahru, Selangor.
The 33-year-old, who has attained the rank of Bomba enforcer, is now based at the JBPM headquarters in Putrajaya and attached with the training division.
No doubt the firefighting field is male dominated, but Malaysian women are proving their mettle and worthiness to serve the country too, said the Sabahan who left her beloved family behind to pursue a career in the uniformed services.
The Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) sports science degree-holder said: “It may be a man’s world, but we are up to it. We can carry heavy firefighting equipment and drive a fire truck, too.”
Bomba senior enforcer II, Siti Farizun Naim, said it has always been her dream since childhood to become a firefighter.
The 33-year-old said she applied to the uniformed services through the Public Services Commission of Malaysia (SPA) website and “Alhamdulillah, I was called to do a physical test, went through several interviews and a qualification test”.
Admitting that before she joined eight years ago she had superficial knowledge about firefighting, she now appreciates the challenges and sacrifices of the men and women who put their lives on the line to help others.
Fondly called “Yun”, she said her best memory of being with the JPBM is when she was assigned to the air base in Subang, Selangor from 2013 - 2017.
“I had to do training that involved abseiling, fast-roping and diving out of a plane into the sea. I was afraid but I overcame my fear through self-confidence and my parents’ doa,” said the firefighter from Teluk Intan, Perak.
JBPM bomba operations and rescue division director, Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad, said women make up 4.9 per cent of the total 15,658 firefighters and that 125 out of the 645 women are senior officers.
“In Europe, female firefighters make up 2 - 5 per cent. In the US, for instance, it’s 4 per cent, the Netherlands is 3.3 per cent and Germany is 2.3 per cent. So it can be said that JPBM’s percentage is high,” he said.
He said the minimum height and weight requirement for female firefighters is 1.53m and 46kg.
He said that in the qualification test, they will need to be able to lift a weight of 46kg, shuttle run as well as raise and climb a 4.75m ladder, among other things.
“Shoulder and back strength are also taken into account because firefighters often have to lug heavy equipment,” said Nor Hisham.
