ILOILO City – In Western Visayas, the most common causes of fire are illegal electrical connections and negligence, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
This Fire Prevention Month, BFP Region 6 hopes to increase public awareness on the causes of fire to protect lives and properties.
According to Fire Senior Officer 3 Antonio Escobido, BFP-6 spokesperson, illegal electrical connections or the so-called “octopus” connections “often result to short circuit.
On the other hand, he said, negligence on the part of house owners could prove disastrous, “especially when they forget to unplug household appliances” from electrical sockets.
“We are reminding house owners to see to it that all their appliances are unplugged before leaving the house,” Escobido said.
CAMPAIGN DOWN TO BRGYS
Escobido said BFP-6 will sustain its program “Oplan Ligtas Pamayanan” that aims to make communities
“fire-proof”, not fire hazards.
“Barangay officials are involved in this program,” he said.
They will craft their own fire protection plans and also serve as fire inspectors, said Escobido.
“We conduct house-to-house inspections to make sure electric connections are safe,” he revealed.
Yesterday, the BFP-6 kicked off the observance of Fire Prevention Month with a parade with rekoreda on fire tips.
The activity was led by BFP-6 director Senior Superintendent Jerry Candido.
Fire Prevention Month is observed by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 115-A, series of 1966, issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos.
March was chosen for this observance since the country’s summer season is statistically the month with the most fire incidences.
Fire incidents in Western Visayas in January this year were lower than those in January last years, according to Escobido.
The drop was 15.18 percent.
In January 2020, Region 6 recorded 112 fire incidents. In the same month this year, there were 95.
Escobido said in 2019 there were a total of 1,812 fire incidents year-round in the region. The following year, cases reached 1,371 – a 24.34 percent drop./PN
