Chapter 3: RUNNING TOGETHER – Working with BOMBA Sarawak
In the earlier chapter we talked about our working partnership with the Ministry (MLGH), in this chapter - I will talk about another important work partner; Jabatan BOMBA dan Penyelamat Sarawak.
One important outcome of the SBO review was the decision to separate the Building Ordinance from the Building By-laws. The Ordinance sets the law; the By-laws, attached as the 4th Schedule, deal with technical matters. This allows the technical requirements to be updated more easily in the future, keeping them relevant as building technology and practice evolve.
The final section of the By-laws covers Fire Safety, which falls directly under BOMBA’s responsibility. Without their involvement, the amendments would never be complete.
Our engagement with BOMBA began in 2015 with the former Director of BOMBA Sarawak, Dato’ Nor Hisham. From the start, he showed strong support and encouraged his senior officers to join our discussions closely. He even suggested weekend workshops, so officers could participate not as uniformed enforcers, but as fire safety practitioners. Without uniforms, the conversations became more open, practical, and grounded in real experience.
Together with engineers, we held several workshops that were truly eye-opening. Many of us finally understood the reasoning behind those strict numbers for passive and active fire protection.
One session at the old PAMSC centre turned into a laughing joke that we still talk about today. During the discussion, a Bomba officer used the building itself as an example — only to realise the premises were not fully compliant. It was awkward, but necessary. That moment reminded us that reviewing the rules also means holding ourselves to the same standard. It later became one of the reasons PAMSC moved to Saradise, into a safer and more suitable home.
Over the years, Bomba Sarawak went through leadership changes. Officers retired, others were transferred. But their commitment never wavered. They stayed involved to ensure the By-laws would remain practical, updated, and aligned with real case studies and current fire safety technology.
Now that the Ordinance has been passed, revising the By-laws is the next stretch ahead. This work will bring Sarawak’s building safety standards closer to national and international levels, supporting the State’s direction in high-tech and green industries.
If Chapter 1 was about building endurance, and Chapter 2 about maintaining the pace, then this chapter is about good running partners, they do not run ahead nor hold us back. The BOMBA team stayed alongside — steady, focused, and committed — helping to keep pace, all the way towards the finish line which we set from the very beginning.
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