ILOILO City – Successive fire incidents especially in this city from Dec. 24 to 25 is rousing the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Western Visayas to aim for a “fire-free” New Year celebration.
Fire Chief Superintendent Jerry Candido, BFP regional director, said achieving zero New Year fire incidents will need everyone’s cooperation.
The BFP advocates for the following precautionary measures:
* Set off firecrackers outside the house and not inside.
* Make sure the area is clean and free of flammable trash.
* Wet your roof and walls, especially if they are made of light materials, before midnight to prevent stray firecrackers from burning the house.
* If your house is made of concrete, make sure all doors and windows are closed.
* Do not set off firecrackers while intoxicated, as this frequently results in injuries.
Although the BFP discourages the use of firecrackers to celebrate the New Year, Candido said the bureau cannot force Filipinos to comply.
According to the region’s fire chief, a “fire-free New Year” was achieved back when the region welcomed 2022, and he believes this is possible to achieve again in 2023.
Candido also urged households to ensure that no electrical appliance is left plugged when nobody is home.
He added that only Christmas lights with a Philippine Standards certification mark should be purchased, which means the product underwent a quality check by the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Philippine Standards.
From Dec. 16, 2022 until Jan. 2, 2023, the entire BFP force will be on “red alert”. They will also be posted in areas where the sale of fireworks is allowed by local government units (LGUs) to make sure that no illegal fireworks get through to the public.
INVEST IN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Another advocacy of Candido is encouraging the public to invest in quality electric systems, just as people value food, medicine, health, and shelter.
“If you’re buying food to survive, then let us allot an amount to preserve our properties. Shelter naton ini mo, so ang maintenance of our electric system is interconnected with our means,” said the BFP-6 chief.
He also explained that the recent fire incidents in Barangay Calumpang in Molo district, and Barangay Veterans Village and Tanza Bonifacio in City Proper were all electrical in nature.
Electrical fires are unintentional fires caused by faulty electrical outlets, overloaded outlets, or worn-out sockets that are not properly grounded.
However, Candido observed that despite knowing these, people are still reluctant to invest a budget in quality electrical systems and their maintenance.
“Ang pinaka-problema is really ang aton gihapon denial. We keep on denying nga the most effective way nga punggan naton ang sunog in electrical in nature is really to maintain our electrical system. Now, when we maintain our electrical system we mean money, ma-gasto kita sina,” explained Candido.
He also said people should hire experts, such as a licensed electrician or an electrical engineer, to check the wiring and lines.
The BFP-6 director elucidated that being cautious is not enough when the electrical systems at home or in establishments are not well-maintained.
“Maski ano pa ka singgit everyday sang halong-halong pero ang matuod ang kuryente masunog kon wala na-maintain,” Candido said.
From Dec. 24 to 25 of this year only, the BFP-6 recorded a total of eight residential fires in Western Visayas: Iloilo City – three; Iloilo province – two; Negros Occidental – one, Aklan – one; Antique – one./PN
