Firefighting Meets the Future: Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Negeri Pulau Pinang Embraces AI for Everyday Work

Penang, 7–8 October 2025
The Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Negeri Pulau Pinang (JBPNPP) has taken a significant step towards digital transformation by completing a two-day hands-on Artificial Intelligence (AI) training conducted by our organisation. The programme brought together more than forty officers from various units to explore how AI can enhance their daily operations, communication and decision-making.

This intensive session was not a typical classroom seminar filled with theory. It was a practical, guided experience that allowed participants to see exactly how AI can assist in their day-to-day duties. Officers learned how to transform ideas into tangible outputs using the same tools adopted by leading public agencies and private-sector teams.

The first day focused on writing, coordination and reporting tasks. Participants were introduced to leading AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity to help draft incident reports, prepare internal memos and convert technical summaries into public-friendly updates. They also explored Google Workspace with Gemini integration, learning how to use Docs, Sheets and Slides to analyse data, generate charts and summarise long email threads into clear actionable points. The focus was on improving efficiency, clarity and consistency in administrative work.

On the second day the attention shifted to media creation and innovation. Officers explored Canva AI to design campaign posters, safety awareness visuals and digital banners using tools like Magic Write and Design for Me. Many were surprised by how quickly they could produce professional designs without any prior graphic design experience. The participants also experimented with text-to-speech tools to create short voiceovers and announcements, opening new possibilities for producing internal training materials and public information content.

One of the most exciting segments involved rapid prototyping. Officers built simple chatbots on Replit, experimented with local AI models using Ollama and connected automations through Flowise and n8n. For many, this was the first time they had seen how AI systems function behind the scenes. The experience helped to demystify AI technology and showed how lightweight tools can be combined to create practical locally relevant solutions.

Throughout the training participants also learned about AI safety, data governance and responsible adoption. The trainers emphasised prompt hygiene, data handling and verification processes to ensure that all AI-generated outputs remain secure, traceable and compliant with public-sector standards.

At the end of the two days each officer took home a collection of practical resources including prompt packs, ready-to-use templates, Canva design presets and simple scripts for API integration. More importantly, they left with a clear understanding of how AI can work alongside them to improve operational speed, communication quality and service delivery.

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Many expressed that the training gave them a new appreciation of how AI could support their mission. One officer described it as “adding a new member to the team who can help us write, summarise, design and analyse instantly.”

This training marked an important milestone for the Penang Fire and Rescue Department. It showed that innovation and digital capability are not limited to the private sector but can be embedded within essential public services. By embracing AI, JBPNPP is demonstrating how technology can empower officers to perform their duties more effectively while maintaining the core values of public service and safety.

Our team continues to offer similar AI-for-Government programmes designed specifically for agencies that want to move from awareness to real adoption. These one-day or two-day lab-based modules are tailored to actual workflows in areas such as policy, communications and field operations.

The future of public service is not about replacing people with technology. It is about equipping people with tools that make their work smarter, faster and more impactful.