Car Plunge Into Ravine.. KM35.4 Karak-KL Hiway

The wreckage - Pic courtesy of Shamsul KLM1

The site of the Wreckage

On 18th November 2010, while I was having a teh tarik session with friends, I received an SMS about a car plunging into a ravine at 35.4KM Karak-Kuala Lumpur Highway. Initial reports of it plunging into a river at the bottom of the ravine requires the water rescue team on-site. Hitching a ride with an officer, we proceeded to the location.

Suspected 'entry' point

Abseiling down to look for clues

The rescue team faced difficulty to get any clues as to whom the car belonged to as the car was upside down in knee deep mud. Thus, getting the engine or chassis number was out of the question. Looking at the gradient, surroundings of the location where the wreckage was found, its mind boggling to figure out how this car could have ended up at the bottom this bridge. From past experience 'rescuing' in this area, me and a small team went through the old Gombak-Bentong road, which runs parallel to the highway, to look for clues. Without any reference to the wreckage location, we came upon an area that we suspected could be the 'entry' point of the car.

Coordinates taken from my GPS

Due to the darkness of the night, in order to confirm our theory, I had used my personal GPS to mark the coordinates, upload the data into my netbook and locate on the map. True enough, what I see on the map more or less increases the accuracy of our theory. Traces of landslide at this area also confirms the scene that the team scouting the ravine below came upon...a landslide. Also from the data, it clearly shows the gradient was a difference of 80m+ between the suspected point of entry and the wreckage location. At 0130hrs, we received instruction to Stand Down for the day.

Day 2

The K9 Units

At 0900hrs, my JPAM team comprising of 20 members met up with the police's K9 (Crime) team. The Bomba guys would not be joining the operations today. Under the command of Tuan Sam, the traffic police officer from Bukit Aman, we headed off to the location. The K9 team comprised of 4 dogs, German Shepherds. These K9s from the crime unit looks, barks and even acts more ferociously than those rescue dogs that we are used to...like the one in this story.  I won't want to be on the receiving end of those fangs. Funnily, they bark with much enthusiasm everytime Jai, one of my team members walks by. I jokingly told him, "Jauh sikit Jai, uniform hang tu busuk macam bau mayat kot' (Stand further away, maybe your uniform stinks like a corpse) ...hahaha.

JPAM and PDRM Vehicles On-Site

The dizzying depth of the ravine seen from the Highway on top. Can you spot the car?

JPAM & PDRM's K9 scouring the area for evidence

We re-visited the wreckage location. During the day, the actual scene differs entirely. The depth of the ravine is of dizzying height. We assisted the police personnel to get down on-site together with their K9s. Our team securely setup anchors for the rope, enabling team members a safe abseiling access down below. In the meantime, the MTD was called in to extricate the wreckage, or at least raise it high enough for us to get to the engine or chassis number. The MTD brought in their 'Kembalik' team. Due to the depth of the ravine, they had to improvise to add some extra length to the cable.

The wreckage on the way up

Anyone wants a used Kia Optima?

The JPAM team below helped to secure the cables to the wreck, and also used their static rope as a guideline (so that the wreck doesn't twist or turn). As the wreckage was almost to the top, disaster struck. A few hoisting cable either snapped or slipped...until at last it was dangling precariously from one of the cables. Upon talking to the MTD guys, a decision was made to lower back the wreckage and reposition the cables. After all, safety first.

The 'kembalik' leaked its hydraulic fluid at the most crucial time...bummer

Apart from my nice car in the foreground...I wanted to show the sawdust that was used to absorb the hydraulic fluid

As the wreckage was being lowered, again...another disaster. Suddenly there was a gush of hydraulic fluids from the 'Kembalik'. There goes all hope of hoisting the wreckage back up for today. My concern was the safety of the other motorist, especially the motorcyclists. Hydraulic fluid is very slippery, and the impending rain judging from the dark cloud formation would only quicken and expand the rate of its flow. The MTD was quick to bring in sawdust to absorb the fluid. The operation was again halted to wait for repair works on the hydraulics and also for MTD to send fresh hydraulic fluid to the scene.

After some repairs, the 'lowering' activity continued. About a few metres from the ground, disaster #3. The MTD had, in its earlier efforts to secure the snapped cables, relieved some of the chains used by them to improvise (as mentioned earlier), thus causing the length of the cable to shorten by a few metres. As they were using 2 winches, a decision was made to let the cable of one winch (the shorten side) go. But guess what...they didn't have the right spanner...so more waiting for someone to send the spanner.

Massive traffic jam

At last, the whole operation ended at 1700hrs....more than 24 hours after it was first reported. This operation had forced MTD to close 1 or 2 lanes of the highway. Traffic jam stretched for a few kilometres. It was made worst by cars slowing down to look. I was wondering why some cars were like driving so slow....until I saw the drivers holding mobile phones discreetly under their arm, obviously video taping the scene. CRAZY!!!

Highway concessionaire should ensure that their equipments, especially safety/rescue related are well equipped and maintained, with trained personnel to handle them. Preparation for emergencies should cover the extremes...ie if you have ravines, make sure you have sufficient cable length for the deepest ravine you have. As how I had submitted a proposal to one Highway Concessionary, I had suggested to them to train their 'Response Team' not ONLY in Traffic Management, but to expand their scope as a trained First Responder. Most of the time, they are the first team to arrive at any accident scene on the highways. (They were interested until they came to the training costs...after that quiet, no response) Come on guys, you already have the personnel and the vehicles. All you need to do is spend a bit more for training and rescue equipments.

Oh ya, we managed to get the number plate. After all that effort, it was actually reported stolen a few weeks back. Sisshh...next time any of you want to dispose of a vehicle you had stolen, please, please, please...put up a sign on the dashboard that says ' Maaf, ini kereta curi. Tiada orang atau binatang tercedera atau terbunuh semasa kereta ini dibuang ' (Sorry, this car was stolen. No human or animal was hurt or killed during the disposal of this car)

Bukit Tabuh Rescue...Again

Yesterday, Bilik Gerakan JPAM Dang Wangi, received an emergency call at 1512hrs about a climber injured after falling approximately 150 feet from the top. First response team arrived at 1545hrs. Total strength was 18 from JPAM and 8 from PDRM (police).

Bukit Tabuh is quite a favourite spot for climbers. However, due to its terrain, its also a dangerous climb. Rocks are jagged, trails are steep and some areas are very narrow. To add to all that, one false move, you could end up in a ravine easily 100ft below.

Since it is the Holy month of Ramadhan, most (?) of the rescue team members were fasting. When it was time to break fast, only water, cigarettes and dates for them.

The casualty was rescued using 11mm Kern-mantle rope, SKED stretcher and was manually carried all the way down the steep Bukit Tabuh. .

 
A trip to Balai Polis Taman Melawati was next for the climbers to have their statements recorded.

At approximately 2230hrs, the team members finally had a proper 'buka puasa' courtesy of the police at the local mamak restaurant nearby.

During the 'buka puasa' session, we (Tn SK, Tn Husni and myself) had a discussion with the SM from Balai Polis Melawati on ways to overcome the frequent incidents on Bukit Tabuh. One thing is for sure, the climbers did not report themselves at the police station before embarking on their climb.

Part 2 - Joint Training Exercise

Part of the Technical Team

Continuing from Part 1....

On D-Day, I had to join my team later on Saturday after work. The team had three 4WDs and 2 scramblers.. all privately owned by its members. It was a good mix in our team, whom had worked together in various Ops.

The participants were broken into 'syndicates', of which each syndicate was made up of members from all 3 states and with different areas of specialty ... medic, survival, map and compass, high rope rescue. From the starting point, they were given the grid reference (GR- Golf Romeo) of checkpoint 1, where they shall be given GF to food dump and check point 2, where finally the GR to check point 3 (Dubai) is given.

The knife is used for rogue teams unwilling to cooperate...hahaha

I was attached to check point 2, from the off road track, go off that off road track (is this making sense to you?), go 45 degrees downhill to the river down below. My task was to ensure that no team passes the river without reporting to check point 2, which was situated across the river 100m from where I was.

Natural Jacuzzi

Since it was warm and the river looks soooo cool and inviting, after I had finished my task, I went for a quick dip in the crystal clear river.

Tech team after a meal of 'rendang landak'

During the exercise, the tech team had a taste of 'rendang landak' and BBQ Lamb. I was happily eating when a sudden discovery of a few strand of fur automatically shuts off my appetite. Luckily it  happened after a plate of hot rice had gone down my esophagus.

A brief closing ceremony was officiated by Senior Asst Commissioner II (CD) Roslan bin Wahab, Pengarah Bahagian Pengurusan Angkatan JPAM. After that, its the Technical Team's photo session...and as evident by the pictures, though tired, we all had a great time...as always.

The 'Official' picture

The 'Relaxed' picture

The 'Variety' pictures

Part 1 - Joint Training Exercise

 
Recently, a joint training exercise was conducted by the Malaysian Civil Defence Department (JPAM - Jabatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia) involving 3 states, namely WP Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Perak. Its a series of joint training required to be conducted every 2 months to enhance the capability and agility of its members, especially in standardizing and addressing cross boundaries operational issues.

Since this time around, WP Kuala Lumpur was the host of the event, I was involved as a member of the Technical Team, comprising of 20 team members. Our task...was to design, implement and supervise the training, a daunting task since the total participants was 200 in strength. Nevertheless, in the true 'esprit de corp' spirit, we accepted the task with great enthusiasm.

Barret HF Man pack

Weeks before the event, on a beautiful Sunday, we went in for a short recce trip, a one day trip to Batang Kali. Since communication is essential in any training exercise, we brought along the newly procured Barret HF man pack to test out. There were three 4WDs... mine (Isuzu Trooper), the camp's (Toyota BJ) and JPAM's (Hilux). From the Orang Asli kampung, we had to cross 2 rivers to get to Kem Hamzah, the forward base camp.

After having 'Durian Hutan' courtesy of the Orang Asli, we started to head for Dubai...off road style. Abang Hamzah had warned us that the road has deteriorated tremendously. Being 4WD enthusiast, that's like an irresistible invitation to pitch our skills and knowledge against mother earth. Little did we know that it has been raining for a few days, making it super slippery and muddy. As soon as we made it pass checkpoint 2, we came to a very large boulder. The BJ almost tilted over sideways. Never mind, we thought, it has a PTO winch. Alas, the winch didn't work as the gearing  went kaput. Thus, what else to do but do some bicep building manual winching.

The BJ and my 'anak gajah' facing their respective challenges

Then a decision was made to leave the BJ and Hilux at checkpoint 2, and went ahead using my 'anak gajah'. From the boulder onwards, most of the movement was by winching. Since I was using a high speed winch, it uses a lot of battery juice. I made a dumb mistake when I forgot to switch back the secondary battery with a higher capacity battery. After 7 times winching and in 4 ft of mud, the batteries just gave up, right in the middle of nowhere.

The calm face of a guy with his 4WD stuck in 4ft mud with no winch power

To cut the story short, I had to call in 4WD friends to help me out...and they came, recovered my vehicle and left, without any payment....try to beat that.

To be continued......Part 2

Tabuh oh Tabuh

Last Friday evening, I received a call from Gerakan Dang Wangi, informing me of an injured climber at Bukit Tabuh. A group of Civil Defence rescuers were mobilised and dispatched to the scene. Upon reaching the victim, it was suspected that she may had a broken leg. After immobilizing her legs, she was wrapped up in a Sked Stretcher, flexible enough to be rolled up but yet sturdy enough when assembled.

The unfortunate 'Samseng Jalanan'

The result of 'merempit', or street racing....this 'samseng jalanan' and his friend were flung down a slope when his motorcycle skidded. Both 'suffered' serious injuries and required urgent medical assistance.

A sad day in Paya Jaras

I was at the office around 5.30pm and was packing to go home when Gerakan called me to inform of a drowning case in Paya Jaras. I rushed from my office in Taman Equine to Gerakan in Semarak. The first team was already deployed when I arrived in my office attire. I had no choice but to put on a JPAM vest. After checking the inventory list, we started our journey in 1 Rodeo and 1 Delta lorry. With sirens blaring and strobe lights flashing, we made through the traffic quite easily.

When we arrived, the first team updated us on the Intel. Its a 3+ years old child who was washing his slippers by the river. Suddenly he fell in. An old man nearby shouted for help. The nearby villagers didn't pay any notice as the old man was known to have some 'problems' before. Only after noticing a pair of children slippers did they realised that it was true. By then it was too late.

I was just coordinating the ops, no heavy stuff, as I had a recurring back pain. My team (total strength 20) continued our search, wading through the river from the incident point right up to the 'bigger' river a few kilometres away. We called off the search at 0300hrs. I had returned home at 0200hrs coz its working day.

As I lay myself to sleep, I cant help but think of .... the body of adik x (cant disclose the name), still swirling in the river, or resting at the bottom of the river bed, or stuck among the tree branch...somewhere out there. I had problems sleeping now even though my eyes could barely open. I pray that we can find him soon, to enable his family to give him a final and proper burial.

Al-Fatihah.

Redang & the OWDs

I arrived home from my Tioman LOB trip on Sunday and the next day I started conducting an Open Water Diver training for a government agency. 2 days in KL for their Knowledge Reviews and Confine Water and 3 days in Redang for the Open Water modules. 5 straight days in 2 different locations. Phew....

The "BEFORE CONVERSION" pictures

The "AFTER CONVERSION" pictures

As evident by the above comparative photos, it supports my theory that people are more fun to be around with if they are divers. They are more friendly, cheerful, energetic...unless you are born with a non friendly, non-cheerful and non-energetic face...who's expression is always the same under ANY circumstances (try to figure out which one).

Long Beach

Teluk Kalong

Redang island is one of my favourite in Peninsular Malaysia. Its almost 'unspoilt' and pristine conditions...white sandy beaches, nice dive sites, variety of marine life...including the nice friends at Gypsy, makes it a total thumbs up for me. Of course it depends where you are staying. I prefer the laid back location of Teluk Kalong...a secluded spot away from the crowd at Long Beach. Here, the only entertainment are the monkeys, the Geckos...and fairly recently...Astro. My philosophy is...if you want the comfort of home...then just stay at home... haha.

As future rescuers, they were given the max of everything. All the optional skills became compulsory training such as buddy breathing. I also found cursing underwater using a writing slate so unfulfilling as opposed to direct verbal abuse, plus one can only curse so much on a slate before its full...haha. Shucks.

One thing I discovered way early in my career as a scuba instructor is...no matter how tipsy-turfy they are underwater, when it comes to taking photos, suddenly they are ok. Good buoyancy, controlled exhalation (no bubbles)...its an amazing transformation. Take the camera away and its back to chaos. Hmmm

We also had a good time playing beach volleyball...well actually they had a good time. Someone has to be the umpire right?

Oh ya, on the way to Redang, we saw this 'transformed' old junk (not junk as in rubbish, but an old ship). A friend of a friend of a friend (haha) told me that its part of the props for KRU's upcoming film on Langkasuka. I wonder if they need an actor as Penghulu Pulau Bertongkat? ...hmmmm