M’sian firefighters comfort ‘depressed’ motorcyclist sitting in the rain next to highway, receive praise

Malaysian firefighters convince motorcyclist to go home to his family

While a firefighter’s job is usually to rush into dangerous situations to save lives, a group of Malaysian firefighters had a less typical but no less important job of comforting a despondent motorcyclist.

A viral TikTok video posted last week showed the firefighters coaxing the man, who was sitting by the side of a highway in the rain, to go home.

‘Depressed’ motorcyclist seen lying by the roadside since 1am

The clip, which appeared to have been shared by one of the firefighters, has racked up 1.5 million views since it was posted.

It started with an image of the man lying on a grass verge next to his motorcycle.

The caption said that the brother was so “depressed” that he had been lying by the roadside since 1am.

Malaysian firefighters coax motorcyclist together in pouring rain

A member of the public called the authorities at 9am, and at least five firefighters are subsequently seen talking to the man, who is sitting on the kerb.

Together, they provide a sorely needed listening ear and a hand on his shoulder as they try to counsel him.

As the man sits with his head bowed, shivering and in the rain, the firefighters speak calmly, with one saying that they will “take a shower” together with him.

They also urged him to go back home to his wife and talk things out with his family.

Malaysian firefighters convince motorcyclist to go home

Finally, the man stands and gathers his belongings, apparently in preparation to go home.

The original poster (OP) wrote in his caption that they thankfully managed to persuade him.

“Sometimes, someone is not tired of life, he is just tired of fighting alone without anyone really understanding what he is carrying,” the OP said, adding:

Sometimes life feels heavy, but we still have to walk.

Motorcyclist had been sitting there for 8 hours

Speaking to Harian Metro, senior fire and rescue officer Nor Azam Abd Rahman said the incident occurred at about 9am last Wednesday (17 June).

The team was returning from another operation when they were informed about a man sitting by the highway overnight.

When they arrived, they found him sitting next to a Yamaha RXZ motorcycle by the highway in the pouring rain, and understood that he had been there since 1am.

They spent about 15 minutes coaxing the man, who is suspected of having personal problems, before he agreed to go home.

Netizens praise & thank firefighters

Netizens who commented on the OP’s TikTok post praised and thanked the firefighters for their compassion, with one noting that firefighters have to “multi-task” by not only putting out fires but consoling those who are upset.

Another thanked the firefighters for being understanding of mental issues, though they claimed that their words may not have been too appropriate.

The incident caused one user to remark that a firefighter’s duty has become “challenging” and he now needs training in psychology.

To that, a netizen who professed to be a “certified mental health first aider” hoped that such certification could be normalised for Malaysians.

Also read: ‘Fight fire with fire’: M’sia fire department posts AI-generated poster showing firefighter with rifle

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Featured image adapted from @wan_zazi on TikTok.