The Fire and Rescue Department is buying 10 high-power pumps, costing RM27 million, to fight bush and peat fires.

The big pumps, from the Netherlands, will be placed at dams, rivers and other sources to draw large volume of water to put out forest fires, said the department's director-general Datuk Hamzah Abu Bakar.

"The pipes can be extended as far as two kilometres, which can bring the water deep into the centre of a bush fire," he told reporters after visiting the newly completed Batu Pahat Fire and Rescue station here.

Reports have suggested that Malaysia will experience extreme weather patterns due to global warming and this has caused the department to prepare for floods and more fires, besides fighting everyday emergencies.

The department has also sought RM300 million to buy equipment like hovercraft, heavy-duty lorries and to provide training to firemen.

Earlier, Hamzah distributed mattresses, stoves and blankets to 77 firefighters whose houses were flooded while they were busy rescuing people.

Johor fire and rescue service chief Muhamad Yusof Muhamad said 1,032 firefighters from the State were involved in the flood rescue efforts.

"Many of my staff are also victims of the floods but they never complained. They had to put aside their own flooded homes to help others first. I was amazed by the spirit they showed," he said.