Fire bureau modernization, auxiliary creation pushed
As the number of fire incidents surged 25 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino ” fully supports the fire department’s modernization to effectively fight the increasing fire incidents as he pushes for auxiliary formation as force multipliers all over the country.
Dir. Louie S. Purucan, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), reported that the fire incidents grew to 16,493 in 2023 from 13,000 in 2022.
Tolentino agrees to Purucan’s request that the fire bureau acquires modern equipment and increase its personnel to arrest the increasing fire incidents.
“I am very active on the matter of modernization of the BFP and support it for the government to better protect its citizens from fire incidents that bring untold sufferings to the victims,” he said.
The lawmaker narrated how he felt devastated by the story of a woman who lost her husband and a “special child” in a fire that razed the houses of 189 families in Tondo, Manila, on Feb. 29.
Sharing the protocol the BFP follows during fire incidents, Purucan said that the first thing they do is rescue and evacuate all people in the area before conducting firefighting operations.
However, he said, fire incidents in slum areas with narrow alleys and houses so dense, the challenge is to penetrate the area when residents block the passages with their personal belongings as they were fleeing.
With the onset of El Niño, Purucan expects the number of fire incidents to increase this year further.
He revealed that the most common cause of fire in buildings and residential areas is defective electrical wiring, from loose connections to overloading and using live flames for cooking.
Purucan said that at the onset of 2024, the number one cause of fire incidents is burning cigarette butts which he noted placed as the fourth cause of fire incidents last year, that he attributes to the El Niño phenomenon, which turns grass and shrubs tinder dry.
“Out of 1,485 municipalities all over the country, there are still 123 municipalities without fire trucks and stations. The number of fire trucks of the bureau is close to 3,000 while the volunteer fire brigades have 1,300 fire trucks,” the fire chief revealed.
