Rama: What pieces of equipment will BFP need to fight fires?

Smoke rises from a high-rise condo building in Cebu City that caught fire on April 14, 2023. | photo via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Amid the series of fire incidents that damaged billions worth of properties in Cebu City, Mayor Michael Rama said the city and the local Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) unit would check what equipment and apparatus they would need more of, and to acquire these as soon as possible.

Rama said these might include fire breathing devices and other equipment that would be crucial in firefighting.

“We are also looking into how declarations of fire damage, especially when these concern private establishments, and ensure proper protocol and procedures are followed,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Rama also asked Cebuanos to be more vigilant and called his constituents to be prepared down to the household level.

He also advised the city’s Office of the Building Official (OBO) to be diligent with its role and “never to compromise” what the laws require.

“Those proven to be complacent, worse corrupt, will be charged,” the mayor warned.

Rama said he also instructed OBO and allied offices and agencies to conduct a massive inspection of buildings to check the owner’s compliance of safety laws, and if fire sprinklers were functional, including the availability of back-up generators that were operational.

Last Friday, April 14, 2023, a huge fire broke out in an unfinished 35-story condominium building in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City.

Although no one was hurt in the fire that lasted for several hours, it left almost P4 billion worth of damage to property.

OBO already instructed the property developer and management to suspend all construction activities in the high-rise residential building.

OBO also directed the management to submit an incident report, corrective actions, methodology, mitigation works, and other relevant documents and justification letters, within three days from receipt of the order, or on April 17, or they might face legal actions.

OBO Assistant Head Noel Cuizon, in a press briefing on Wednesday, said they already reminded the property developer of their deliverables to the city.

READ: What started the fire in a Cebu City high-rise condo building?

Meanwhile, the mayor also urged parents and household elders as well as barangay leaders to ensure that any fire would be preempted “by being prepared with fire extinguishers, ready pails of water or buckets of sand to stop any initial fire.”

“Any ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Thus, it pays when combustible materials are properly stored and kept away from the reach of children and household pets. Adults and children must be conscious to switch off lights and electric powered appliances and devices, and unplug them as well as charges when not in use,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, firefighters also responded to a two-hour fire that hit a commercial establishment in Brgy. Kinasang-an Pardo, Cebu City on Tuesday morning, April 18. The fire burned about P20 million worth of properties.

READ: Pit-os fire displaces 55 

Another fire also erupted in Cebu City on Wednesday morning, April 19, which left over 50 residents homeless.

The fire incident was reported in a residential area in Sitio Tabuk, Brgy. Pit-os around 8:32 a.m. on Wednesday.

Hours after, another fire incident also hit a densely populated community in Sitio Mangga, Brgy. Mambaling on Wednesday, April 19. This left at least 250 residents homeless, based on the initial report of the Cebu City Fire Office.

The damage was pegged at P3.6 million.

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