Fire and Rescue Department adds 16 new UK-bred K9 dogs this October
Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah
KOTA BARU: The Fire and Rescue Department will strengthen its search and rescue capabilities with the addition of 16 new K9 dogs from the United Kingdom this October, costing RM2.4mil.
Its director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said the procurement, each costing RM150,000 inclusive of training, is part of the department's ongoing efforts to enhance operational readiness in critical areas.
He said the dogs would be deployed to three key centres: five will be stationed in Sabah, two in Sarawak, while the remaining nine will be based at the K9 unit in Klang Lama, Selangor.
"Three officers will be sent to the UK to undergo handler training alongside the dogs.
"Once they return, they will be responsible for training other local handlers," he said.
Nor Hisham was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Governance, Integrity, and Anti-Corruption Dialogue Programme here today.
He added that the K9 unit is expected to be operational by November, in time to support various national-level search and rescue missions, particularly in disaster-prone regions.
"This move will significantly improve our detection and rescue capabilities, especially in difficult terrain and during emergencies involving missing persons or natural disasters," he said.
It is learnt that the additional dogs will complement the existing 20 across the country.
The dogs include breeds such as the English Springer Spaniel and Labrador Retriever, which are more suited to Malaysia's tropical climate and have more effective specialised functions.
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