Fire personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Central Visayas (BFP-7) join the motorcade to welcome the fire prevention month, on early Sunday, March 1, 2020. | Gerard Vincent Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Never forget to unplug your appliances and gadgets before leaving your house for work.”
This is the reminder of Superintendent Randy Mendaros, Bureau of Fire Protection in Central Visayas (BFP-7) chief, as the BFP-7 celebratee the start of the Fire Prevention Month with a motorcade of fire trucks around the city on Sunday, March 1, 2020.
Mendaros said that March had been chosen as the Fire Prevention Month because during this month usually the weather was expected to be very humid and temperature would be expected to be high.
This would be the month that would usually usher in the dry season or the summer season, he said.
A fire, however, in Mandaue City closed the month of February where thousands of individuals were displaced after it razed at least 300 houses in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia.
Read more: Ibabao-Estancia sitios under state of calamity
Meanwhile, Menderos also encouraged the community to actively participate in this year’s fire prevention month activities and to heed their messages and information on how to prevent fires.
Fire prevention, community
And one safety tip that they had continuously imparted to the community was to learn to unplug appliances before leaving for work or when the appliance would no longer be used.
Menderos said that they were counting on the community’s participation in this year’s Fire Prevention Month, which has the theme “Matuto. Sunog Iwasan na (Learn. Avoid fire incidents),”
“If the community won’t participate, the actions of BFP will be futile because prevention starts with them, being observant on the safety measures,” said Mendaros.
He promised more programs that would promote safety tips to the community that they could apply in their daily lives to avoid starting a fire.
He said they will be also be intensifying Oplan Ligtas Pamayanan (OLP) or the house to house visit of the fire personnel to check the safety of the wirings in the houses in certain places.
Aside from that they would also visit schools as part of their information campaign to promote safety measures to prevent fires./dbs