Community involvement sought to prevent fires

Fire volunteers join firefighters of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in a motorcade last March 1 that launched Fire Prevention Month.
CDN FILE PHOTO

MARCH FIRES

On a normal day, in some of Cebu’s densely-populated villages, a passing fire truck with a loud speaker blurts out a public service announcement.

“Ayaw i-overload ang inyong mga outlets. Bantayi ang inyong mga bata nga dili mag duwa ug kayu (Do not overload your (electrical) outlets. Watch your kids to make sure that they do not play with fire),” a booming voice from a megaphone echoes the friendly reminder.

It is the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Fire Prevention Month “rekoreda” targeting densely populated areas in the region which are often hit by fire.

Cebu City Fire Marshall Chief Inspector Noel Nelson Ababon, said one fire truck manned by four BFP personnel go around the villages daily for 30 to 40 minutes.

The rekoredas launched last March 3 as part of Fire Prevention Month activities will continue daily, said Ababon, for as long as people needed to be reminded of the importance of fire safety.

BFP took a break from their rekoridas on Good Friday (March 30) in observance of the solemn occasion but resumed right after Holy Week on Monday (April 2).

The Cebu City Fire Department has visited at least seven of the city’s thickly populated barangays namely: Ermita, Labangon, Pardo, Guadalupe in the south district and Mabolo,Lahug and Parian in the north district.

Fire Occurrences

For the month of March 2018, Cebu City recorded the most number of fire incidents in Central Visayas.

“Ang mga area nga naay dagkung sunog kay congested area man gud unya made of light materials (Areas affected by huge fires are congested areas where houses are mostly made of light materials),” said Ababon.

Based on the 2015 population census, Cebu City has at least 922,611 residents.

The Cebu City Fire Department recorded a total of 24 fires in March this year which resulted to the loss of P169, 000 worth of properties.

All fires recorded in Cebu City during that period were immediately contained which explains the “very minimal damage”, said Ababon.

Bigger fires were, however, recorded from March 1 to 25 in the neighboring city of Lapu-Lapu and the town of Minglanilla, southern Cebu.

A March 12 fire which hit the coastal community of Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City damaged half a million worth of properties and left around 300 families homeless.

Eight days later, an even bigger fire damaged P 600,000 worth of properties in Lapu-Lapu’s thickly populated community of Barangay Basak. The blaze also left at least 300 families homeless.

In Minglanilla, a fire last March 19 damaged P1.5 million worth of properties in Sitio Little Tondo, Barangay Ward 3, affecting houses made of light and concrete materials.

For Central Visayas, BFP-7 recorded a total of 82 fires in the month of March which resulted to the loss of P6.7 million worth of properties.

The biggest fire in the region was recorded last March 10 in Barangay Taloto Tagbilaran City, Bohol which damaged P2 million worth of properties.

Pursuant to Proclamation No. 115-A issued in 1966, President Ferdinand Marcos declared March as the country’s Fire Prevention Month.

Data would show that a high number of fire incidents are recorded around March due to the high levels of humidity and temperature, March being one of the hottest months in the country.

Humid Weather

According to Ababon, the very humid weather conditions coupled with a lack of access roads in urban poor communities are major factors why fires occur often in March.

“There are also other factors like accessibility. Fire victims tend to deposit items which they salvaged from their burning homes on the road thus obstructing the firefighters’ way,” he said in Cebuano.

In March 2018, Metro Cebu’s temperature ranged from 24.5 to 31 degrees Celsius with humidity ranging from 79 to 95 percent.

Pagasa Mactan weather specialist Van Singson told Cebu Daily News that the highest humidity of 95 percent was recorded last March 12 — the day of the Pajo fire.

Metro Cebu’s humid conditions are expected to continue, if not worsen , during the months of April and May, said Singson.

Barring any weather disturbances, Singson added that May is being forecasted by Pagasa to yet be the hottest month of the year with temperatures expected to go between 25.8 to 32.8 degrees while humidity is expected to hit an average of 78 percent.

Ababon stressed that on its own, BFP cannot deter fires without the help of communities. /with reports from Correspondent Jessa Mae O. Sotto