Mandaue City Fire Station /Photo: BFP-7
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Fire Station (MCFS) hopes to be elevated to a Fire District status to increase its personnel, equipment, and the number of substations.
MCFS Fire Marshal Superintendent Arnel Abella stated that they currently have only 87 personnel and three substations located in Barangays Centro, Subangdaku, and Cubacub. He noted that more substations would enable faster response times.
“Mandaue City is a lone district. Like Lapu-Lapu, our Mandaue City Fire Station can also become a Fire District. This would prioritize our requests for support from the regional office,” Abella said.
Abella said that there is no specific number of personnel that will be added, but having more personnel would allow for additional substations.
He also said they already have a resolution from the Mandaue City Council, which will be forwarded to the Bureau of Fire Protection Headquarters and then to the Department of the Interior and Local Government for approval.
Mayor Jonas Cortes expressed his support and hope that the upgrade would be approved, especially since Mandaue City is highly urbanized.
“Hopefully, this plan will be fast-tracked because it is long overdue. Our city is growing, and I am sure that, based on population percentage, our Bureau of Fire is significantly lacking,” Cortes said.
Cortes directed Buddy Alain Ybañez, the head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), to closely coordinate with the MCFS.
The city has extended support to the fire station, including providing a water tanker, among other resources.
The city is also equipping its CDRRMO with new equipment and vehicles, and barangays are also initiating the purchase of disaster equipment.
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