BY: Zaki Saleh
IPOH: A portrait of the Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, dressed in a firefighter uniform, was presented as a special gift during his attendance at the World Firefighters Day 2024 celebration on Tambun Road, Sunway City.
The portrait, capturing a memory from 1997, depicts him during the successful mission to extinguish a cross-border wildfire (Ops Jerebu) involving 1,200 personnel and lasting for 25 days.
The gift was presented to the Prime Minister by the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming, as a token of appreciation for his solidarity with the firefighters.
Also present were the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, and the Director-General of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad.
The World Firefighters Day 2024 celebration made history as Pos Malaysia launched commemorative stamps featuring JBPM’s aerial, land, and water assets.
Earlier, the Prime Minister received a salute and inspected the Firefighter Guard of Honour consisting of 2 officers and 99 personnel.
The annual celebration of World Firefighters Day on May 4th serves as a symbolic event to commemorate the sacrifices and dedication of firefighters worldwide.
The symbolic inauguration included the presentation of a firefighter’s axe to the Prime Minister by five ‘Smoke Jumper JBPM’ paratroopers who made parachute jumps from a height of 4,000 feet.
The highlight of the event was a firefighting demonstration by the JBPM Special Forces followed by a procession of 29 contingents and 57 vehicles involving 1,400 personnel.
Over 4,000 attendees, particularly local communities and leaders, witnessed this historic event.
