KUALA LUMPUR: Membership on this membership just isn’t for the faint-hearted.
Meet the King Cobra Squad (SKC) – the one snake dealing with crew within the Fire and Rescue Department.
Set up in 2015, it now has 20 employees members, with six of them stationed on the Wakaf Tapai Fire and Rescue Academy right here.
At the academy not too long ago, snake-handling coaching carried out by the SKC since Aug 1 was in progress.
SKC chief teacher, who can also be senior fireplace officer II, Safiq Mohamad, instructed Bernama:
“Snakes are wild animals with the potential to attack humans, and as such we need to overcome the phobia of snakes by undergoing regular ‘snake confidence’ training within a glass enclosure at the Snake Training Gallery here.
“This allows the team to adapt themselves to the behavioural patterns of snake species such as the king cobra, monocled cobra and spitting cobra. Regular training is needed to acquire handling and manipulation techniques in catching snakes.
“What’s interesting is that many other parties are also interested in undergoing training with SKC, especially the Emergency Response Teams at factories and other government agencies.
“They will undergo various types of training including the theoretical aspects covering an introduction to snakes and various species, as well as early treatment for snakebite victims,” he added.
The squad has a handbook containing coaching modules which are up to date yearly to equip the crew with the methods and information in dealing with snakes.
The coaching modules should be recurrently up to date, on condition that there are over 200 species of snakes in Malaysia – most of them have but to be recognized, with solely 20 species recognized to be residing close to human settlements.
To date, SKC has offered coaching to the air power and armed forces, and has additionally collaborated with defence forces from different nations, together with the United States and Brunei, as a part of efforts to make Malaysia a referral nation for offering modules in dealing with toxic snakes and different animals.
“Snakes that are usually used for training are the reticulated python and king cobra as these species are commonly found intruding into Malaysian homes. During training, these snakes are left to slither on our legs and body,” Safiq stated.
SKC often receives telephone calls from the general public via the emergency line 999, he added.
It will get practically 200 to 300 calls yearly associated to snakes within the state, whereas the division is estimated to obtain practically 20,000 snake-related instances nationwide yearly.
Safiq’s recommendation to the general public: Don’t panic when a snake enters your own home as it’s going to exhibit sure defensive behaviours, and can solely chunk if provoked.
You ought to make sure the snake is quarantined in a closed space and that the door is closed when it enters the room.
If somebody is bitten by a snake, an important factor is to establish the snake species and whether or not it’s venomous or non-venomous. It is greatest {that a} picture of the snake is taken.
Once bitten, the sufferer ought to instantly be rushed to a authorities hospital, and to not a clinic or non-public hospital. This is as a result of anti-venom remedy is simply accessible at authorities hospitals.
“The area that is bitten should also be bandaged and should not be too tight, to avoid the venom from spreading to other parts of the body,” he stated.
Safiq recalled an expertise when he was practically bitten by a king cobra throughout an operation on March 19 at a home in Kampung Serada, Kuala Terengganu.
“At that time, the snake was on the rooftop and I had to climb up to catch it. Suddenly, the zinc roof that I stepped on broke and my right leg was trapped.
“The snake was about to strike at me and fortunately I managed to ward off the serpent’s head with my left leg,” he stated.
