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BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
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Monday, January 2, 2017
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ILOILO City – No fire broke out during New Year celebrations in this city. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in this city heaved a sigh of relief.
“Negative gid sa fire-related accidents. We’re happy. We did our job well. Our information dissemination campaign bore fruit,” said City Fire Mashal Jerry Candido.
On the days leading to New Year, BFP personnel were seen distributing to the public fliers containing fire and firecracker safety tips.
The BFP also did recorrida. With a loud speaker system, a vehicle went around the city exhorting people to shun firecrackers and instead use alternative noisemakers such as the torotot to welcome the New Year.
“We believed we managed to convince a lot of people not to set off firecrackers. This may have contributed to the low number of firecracker-related New Year injuries,” said Candido.
BFP pushed for the tight regulation of firecracker selling in this city. Candido originally proposed that it be done only in one area – Arevalo district, and specifically along the long stretch of the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose.
The circumferential road in Barangay San Jose was an open space far from residences and business establishments, thus it was very safe for firecracker selling, he explained.
However, the city government wanted to find a balance between public safety and economic plight of firecracker vendors.
Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog eventually issued an executive order identifying several firecracker zones, mostly public plazas.
Candido then told firecracker vendors they have to follow the requirements BFP would be laying down or they would be removed from the plazas.
The conditions were the following:
* Firecracker stalls should be at least one meter apart from each other.
* Each firecracker stall should have a firewall (2m x 4m) on both sides, with the inner wall made of Hardiflex boards and the outer wall made of galvanized iron sheets.
* Stalls must use LED lamps for lighting.
* There should be no electrical outlets in the stalls.
* Stalls must display the signboard “No Smoking, No Testing” and BFP’s emergency numbers.
Also, there must be at least one unit 10-pounder dried chemical fire extinguisher in the area./PN
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