MANILA, Philippines – Practice fire prevention measures this holiday season.
This is the key message of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) as they launched their "Oplan Paalala" during the BFP-NCR Regional Fire Olympics 2017 at Quirino Grandstand on Saturday, December 2.
The campaign aims to ensure the safety of the public during Christmas and New Year. It focuses on fire prevention activities such as firetruck and fireman visibility, fire safety tips dissemintion, intensification of fire crackers and Christmas lights inspections.
All BFP personnel will be celebrating the holiday season quite differently from the rest of the country. While everyone will be attending parties and reunions over the holidays, all BFP personnel will be reporting for duty at their respective stations and will be on full alert during the season, according to BFP Chief Director Leonard R. Bañago,
"Nakaready naman palagi ang ating mga firefighters, medyo nagdodoble lang talaga ang ating mga tao sa pagtratrabaho. Nasa heightened alert tayo, para just incase na magkaroon ng mga aberya, ready tayo," Bañago said in an interview with Rappler.
(Our firefighters are always on standby. They have doubled their hours this seasons. We are on heightened alert in case of any emergency)
Fire incidents are common during the holiday season. Earlier this year, a New Year fire razed at least 5 houses, including two ancestral homes in Sta. Ana, Manila. In 2016, a fire hit at least 1,000 homes in Manila, affecting around 3,000 families shortly after they greeted the New Year.
Preventing fire incidents
To avoid untoward fire incidents like these, Bañago also reiterated the proposal of Department of Health (DOH) that every local government units should have a specific common area for fireworks displays. (READ: Know what to do in case of fire)
In June 20, President Rodrigo Duterte signed an Executive Order No. 28 which limits private citizens from using firecrackers at their own residences. Instead, they can only display fireworks on common spaces and authorized areas by local governments.
Bañago also reminded the public to avoid buying substandard products like Christmas lights, making sure they pass the standards set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). According to the fire chief, the public can quickly verify this by checking the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) seals on the products.
Here are some fire prevention tips for the holiday season from the fire department:
- Unplug appliances when leaving the home for an out-of-town trip or vacation
- Refrain from overloading your electrical system
- Buy decorations that pass the standards set by DTI
- Never leave cooking food unattended
BFP launched the "Oplan Paalala" campaign earlier this year to give ample time for their fire safety advocates to intensify its campaign towards a safe holiday season.
According to them, fire incidents are more common in Metro Manila compared to other regions. The most common causes are unplugged appliances left by vacationing families who spent their holidays in the provinces.
Bañago added that BFP will also coordinate with other government agencies to effectively carry out their "Oplan Paalala" campaign and help them disseminate public safety awareness in general.
During their 26th anniversary in August this year, BFP announced that fire incidents in the Philippines have halved from from January to June 2016 to the same period this year. – Rappler.com