Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) K9 search-and-rescue unit has welcomed a new Labrador puppy into the team after rescue dog “Lottie” safely gave birth in March.
The puppy was officially introduced during the 2026 World Firefighters’ Day Carnival held at Plaza Angsana today (May 9).
Future rescue hero
During the event, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming revealed that the puppy was born on March 18 under the supervision of firefighter Nelson.
Nga then officially named the puppy “Brave”, saying he hopes the Labrador will grow into a courageous and strong rescue dog capable of handling challenging search-and-rescue missions in the future.
Also present at the event were Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah and JBPM director-general Datuk Seri Norizham.
JBPM still needs more rescue dogs nationwide
While introducing Brave, Nga also highlighted the current shortage of search-and-rescue dogs within JBPM’s K9 unit.
According to him, JBPM currently only has 34 search-and-rescue dogs nationwide, with another 56 still needed to achieve the ideal operational level.
To strengthen the unit, the MADANI government has approved an allocation of RM2.4 million to procure 16 new rescue dogs from the United Kingdom.
Local breeding programme in Penang
Nga also shared that JBPM plans to establish a K9 operations centre in Bertam, Penang as part of its long-term strategy to strengthen the department’s K9 operations.
The centre is also expected to include a local breeding programme in the future.
World Firefighters’ Day
The World Firefighters’ Day celebration was held on a large scale, with 550 firefighters participating in a marching parade alongside 50 firefighting vehicles and machines.
One of the main attractions at the carnival was the display of several vintage fire engines and firefighting machinery from the private collection of Sultan Ibrahim, which drew large crowds throughout the event.
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