Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and BFP-Mandaue Fire Marshall Chief Inspector Arnel Abella lead the opening of Fire Prevention Month on Friday, March 1./Contributed via Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – The Bureau of Fire Protection in Mandaue City (BFP-Mandaue) is reminding residents to be fire-conscious during the opening of Fire Prevention Month in the city on Friday, March 1.
BFP-Mandaue Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Arnel Abella said that fires recorded in the city usually involve electric wires, unattended cooking, and failure to unplug electrical appliances.
He added that these incidents could be prevented by constantly checking electric wires, replacing dilapidated wires, and ensuring that electrical appliances are unplugged when not in use. Fires in the city also commonly occur in fire-prone areas and houses made of light materials.
There were about eight fire incidents recorded in Mandaue City from January to February this year, fewer compared to the same time last year when there were nine fire incidents.
READ BFP-7 warns: Fire more likely during El Niño
BFP-Mandaue continues to implement Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan, conducting visits to houses to check the safety of their wiring.
They are also grateful that the city government has purchased their first water tanker, which can be very helpful in extinguishing fires more quickly.
Currently, they only use fire trucks, as only the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office has a water tanker.
Abella added that the water tanker is expected to be delivered this year, with the city government allocating about P20 million for its procurement.
Mayor Jonas Cortes mentioned that aside from the water tanker, the city is also capacitating barangays to respond to fire alarms. They are providing the needed equipment and training for the barangay’s disaster team personnel.
ALSO READ
Beauty queen reminds public of Fire Prevention Month: ‘Stay away from fire’