CHALLENGES
As they race against time, firefighters in Myanmar are even operating under tough circumstances.
One of the problems the group faced was the warm weather. ” It is 41 degrees ( Celsius ), so we had to institute a certain work-rest cycle in order to keep ourselves going for the prolonged ops and we also need to hydrate ourselves very frequently”, said Col Tay.
The force was also one of the first groups on the ground and was requested to begin work quickly, so it had little time to set up and create connection with its foundation camp, he said.
However, the confidence of the soldiers are “extremely high”, said Col Tay. The security of the staff was also taken care of as it was finally able to set up its basic camp near a guesthouse, enabling the team to use services such as the function room and car park.
” In general, the feeling is very focused on our mission at hand”.
In response to a CNA comment on how this procedure differs from previous versions, Col Tay noted that the group was escorted by the local fire services wherever it went.
” That works for us because… they may have a good understanding of the position on the ground and they will take us to focused places where they think there are life to be saved”.
For the contingent’s 48 Muslim officers, there were also efforts to keep morale high over Hari Raya Puasa- which fell on Monday.
” It was an extremely busy , day and ( rescue operations ) took us all the way until nightfall before we returned back to base”, said Col Tay.
The team, however, was able to conclude their day with a few Hari Raya messages for Muslim teammates, which gave them a “boost”, he added.  ,
SAVING A LIFE
Sharing their experience on rescuing a man from under a collapsed building on Sunday after an eight-hour operation, Col Tay said it happened at just the second site the team went to.
Before that, what they saw had worried them.
” The first site that we visited, there were residential buildings and what we observed was that the second floor came down to the first, and the first floor completely gave way”, he said.
” We were thinking, if all the buildings were like this, it would be a significant challenge for us to conduct any search and rescue ops”.
When they arrived at the second site, to their surprise, the man was able to respond despite him being in a “precarious position”.  ,