Yellow Post | issue 50 | sept 28 - oct 04, 2007 Malaysian Bred Heroes By Sharmini Sugunan              Regrettably, for all my bravado, I’m neither the extreme-sports nor extreme-adventure person. I would wilt in an outward bound exercise and I’m not at all the sort one would recruit for a relief and rescue mission to Peru. I do better holding the fort; coordinating the parties involves and ensuring things run without too many glitches. And yes, highlighting the event after it is concluded.             Around August last year I discovered the renowned local NGO, the Malaysian Volunteer Fire and Rescue Associate (MVFRA). The organization is comprised entirely of unpaid volunteers. Captain Balasupramaniam Krishnan, the main man at MVFRA, is extremely proud of his crew. Together they have served in disaster zones in the region including Bam (Iran) and Bandar Acheh. I was amazed to learn that four female siblings had been recruited, trained and served with MVFRA. One eventually settled down and as such retired from the organization. The remaining active three are Anita, Teresa and Lois. Anita, won the Outstanding Young Malaysian category of the Humanitarian and Voluntary Services Award in 2005. I’ve met the spunky lass; she’s slight framed and it’s difficult to envision her picking dead bodies and performing other similar gruesome tasks. But she did – in Acheh for 7 straight days only able to have a shower at the end of the duration. I know of no other female who can match that. That’s what I would call a true kick-ass cool chick!             For my son’s birthday, I arranged for the team to drop by in their fire engine. The Firemen’s Visit is part of their community bonding activities. They picked me up, helped me don the fire fighter’s outfit and off we went, sirens screaming and lights flashing. The family poured out of the family house and both my sons had wide smiles plastered on their brown little faces. The firefighter’s uniform is both cumbersome and heavy. I was filled with admiration for Teresa Lim. Slight built like her sister Anita, she moved about in her uniform with ease. I had required assistance both getting in and out of the uniform. The gear is both heavy and cumbersome. The team helped me climb out of the uniform then helped the birthday boy get into it. The fire truck drove away with my boys, grinning and eyes dancing, for spin around town. My boys will never forget how “mummy got the fire engine to come.”             The many services available at MVFRA encompass the awareness programs and special programs for children. Details on each can be found on the MVFRA website: www.mvfra.org.              MVFRA, I must say, is a home grown brand to be proud of. And I very pleased to have made the team’s acquaintance. Captain Balasupramaniam Krishnan, founder and head honcho at MVFRA, won the Young Humanitarian category of the NSTP-PwC Malaysia Humanitarian Award in 2005. Incidentally, I was also delighted to meet one of their team mates, Ramakrishnan Ramasamy, who was part of the Malaysian team that scaled Mount Everest! And the MVFRA ladies? Not only are they able to engage in fire rescue and relief and rescue works, they each can handle motorbikes larger than their feminine frames. Birds of a feather… How’s that for home grown heroes?