Senior. Supt. Samuel Tadeo, head of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Central Visayas, emphasizes the need to upgrade equipment and manpower of the fire bureau in the region to be able to promptly respond to emergencies.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
Each fire truck should have at least seven firefighters during operations, according to the mandate of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
However, 13 municipalities in the province of Cebu and 11 in Bohol do not own even a single fire truck; much more, a fire station.
The towns of Tabogon, Borbon, Badian, Alegria, Madridejos, Sta. Fe, Asturias, Ronda, Alcantara, Alegria, Santander, Alcoy and Pilar, Camotes, have yet to build fire stations in their localities.
In Bohol, the towns of San Isidro, Dagohoy, Danao, Lila, Duero, Guindulman, Loboc, Cortes, Corella, Getafe and San Miguel do not have fire stations too.
BFP-7 head Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo said that it is their main goal to build fire stations and put at least one fire truck for each town across the region.
At least eight towns in Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor are currently building their local BFP stations.
“For now, we have clustered these towns for the sharing of firefighting equipment and personnel,” Tadeo said.
The southwestern town of Ronda, for one, relies on Dumanjug Police Station in case of fire emergencies.
Tadeo clarified that there have been no major problems on the sharing of the fire equipment so far.
New recruits
As the plans on building fire stations for all municipalities in Central Visayas are underway, BFP said there are also efforts to strengthen its manpower and firefighting equipment to better serve the community.
A total of 122 new firefighters took oath last week. They will soon be deployed to different areas in the region after a 45-day orientation.
Tadeo said that the new recruits are a significant addition to the current 1,417 fire officers in the region.
“They (new recruits) will help with our work to ensure the safety of the citizens and their belongings during fire,” he said.
BFP reminder
The fire that broke out in Grenfell Tower in London last June 13 should serve as warning for commercial and residential buildings, as well as schools in Central Visayas, Tadeo said.
All buildings are required to undergo inspection by the BFP to ensure their safety against fire.
Fire extinguishers and fire protection devices should be accessible while electrical wires should be installed properly.
Tadeo said that local BFPs have also checked on the construction of new school buildings across Cebu province to help prevent fires in schools.