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KOTA KINABALU: To strengthen emergency operations, especially in rural areas, the Civil Defence Force (APM) has procured 100 units of four-wheel drive (4WD) ambulances which will be obtained in stages.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the acquisition was made in four phases starting in July last year.

“The first phase of 30 units will be handed over to APMs in Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah, Perak and Pahang. Of those, eight units, specifically for Sabah APM, will be handed over by the second quarter of 2023 at the latest.

“The total number to be received by Sabah and Sarawak is 15 units each, and 70 units will be distributed to all the states in the peninsula," he told reporters after the Sabah APM Awards Ceremony involving a total of 204 recipients here today.

Armizan said the acquisition of four-wheel-drive ambulances can facilitate the movement of rescuers to disaster sites, especially in areas with poor surface structure and physical road conditions such as those found in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak.

Armizan said to strengthen the role and functions of the APM, training and equipping the community with civil defence knowledge should be the main focus.