Cebu City Hall turned over firefighting equipment to the regional Bureau of Fire Protection in October last year.
CDN File Photo
About 500 building owners and administrators in Central Visayas were reminded yesterday to comply with the country’s Fire Code as well as existing fire safety measures to protect their tenants and clients.
In yesterday’s meeting held at Cinema 5 in Ayala Mall, Senior Fire Supt. Samuel Tadeo, regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), cited the deaths of 38 persons, most due to suffocation, at Resorts World Manila last June 2 as a learning experience.
President Rodrigo Duterte questioned the management of Resorts World Manila for not installing enough exits for the victims to pass through.
Tadeo also cited the deaths at the Grenfell Tower fire incident in London as another example.
He said building owners and administrators should coordinate with their office to ensure their buildings can be safe from fires.
“In the midst of these disasters, many apprehensions were manifested. Were we able to perform our mandate? Are our laws enough to answer such disasters? But most of all, the public is clamoring, ‘Are we safe?’” Tadeo said.
Of special concern, Tadeo said, are the high-rise buildings and condominiums that make it difficult for firefighters to put out the fire due to their limited facilities.
Engineer Ariel Miranda, chief of the BFP’s Fire Safety Enforcement Division, reminded the participants to secure permits from their office.
He said they should install essential safety equipment like fire alarms, emergency lights, sprinklers and lighted signs and fire exits.
Miranda said a quarterly meeting should be held with building owners and administrators to update them on their requirements.
During the open forum, Miranda and Tadeo also welcomed a proposal to institute a building owners’ association.
Tadeo told reporters that their office plans to hold a fire safety summit before the year ends.