Bomba merges elite units to boost disaster response capabilities

KUCHING: The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) is merging two of its elite units—Special Tactical Operation and Rescue (STORM) and Multi Skill Team (MUST)—to enhance operational capabilities.

Bomba aims to combine 620 officers from the MUST unit with 481 officers from the STORM unit, resulting in a total membership of 1,101 officers across Malaysia.

Bomba director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad stated that this restructuring represents a significant leap for Bomba in improving its capability to handle major disaster incidents requiring high levels of expertise and physical and mental resilience.

“After assessing the capabilities and expertise of both teams, the department has made a substantial decision to merge these two units into one,” he said.

He then said that the specialised skills from both MUST and STORM will be combined under the single name STORM.

Nor Hisham told reporters at the Bomba HQ here today (Sept 30) following the commissioning of 21 MUST officers into STORM.

He noted that Bomba will realign the expertise of MUST officers with a focus on urban disaster management.

Meanwhile, existing STORM members will receive training for operations involving air units and fire aircraft, and will focus on search operations in forested areas.

“To fill the gap left by MUST in the air unit, we have established a special air unit, which is one of the main operational norms that we will integrate to work with aircraft,” he explained.

He added that the special team is already present in Subang, Miri, and Bertam, and does not engage in daily operations involving station officers.

He further stated that the STORM unit will be stationed at fire and rescue stations, with a modus operandi focused on high-tactical and high-skill operations.

He added that the commissioning of MUST officers to the STORM unit will occur in phases, starting in Sarawak and continuing until the end of November. 

For the record, the commissioning on Monday (Sept 30) brings the total number of STORM officers to 60, consisting of 23 from MUST and 36 from STORM.