House visits, drills mark annual Fire Prevention Month

Fire trucks on standby at the Mandaue City fire station (CDN FILE PHOTO)

METRO Cebu residents can expect house visits from personnel of the regional Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-7) as part of their campaign to prevent fire outbreaks during Fire Prevention Month this March.

Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo, regional BFP director, said he ordered town and city fire marshals to conduct exit drills in fire-prone areas.

He said the number of deaths due to fire outbreaks rose to 34 last year compared to eight deaths in 2015.

But Tadeo said property damage caused by fire dropped by 13 percent.

“The reason is that some people tend to run towards their toilet because the water is there. But what they don’t know is that the smoke can kill. They should go out of their burning house,” Tadeo said.

Based on their data, Tadeo said they recorded P99 million in damages caused by fire compared to P85 million last year.

The BFP will launch their observance of Fire Prevention Month with a Fun Walk along with representatives of other government agencies and the police starting at their grounds.

This will be followed by a forum on fire prevention tips that is open to the public followed by a Mass and a motorcade in Cebu City.

In Mandaue City, Fire Marshal Senior Insp. Josephus Alburo confirmed they will also visit houses to conduct fire safety programs and inspections.

Alburo said Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing reminded them about their visits to better educate residents on fire prevention in light of the New Year’s Eve fires that hit Barangays Looc, Maguikay and Guizo and displaced 500 families.

Alburo said fire drills will be done in densely populated and fire-prone areas where most houses are made of light materials.