Measures vs fire strengthened

CEBU, Philippines — In an effort to lower the fire incidents in Cebu City, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is implementing the “Ligtas na Pamayanan” program.

The program is aimed at preparing communities to be disaster-resilient.

Barangays Cogon, Suba, Tisa, Capitol Site, Sambag II, Barangay T. Padilla, Kamputhaw, Hipodromo and Talamban were the program’s pilot areas.

With the program, firefighters are also conducting house-to-house visitations to check fire safety of every household.

Cebu City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Noel Nelson Ababon said most fire incidents in the city occurred in residential areas.

“Based on the data from the regional office, Cebu City tops the list with the most number of fire incidents,” he said.

BFP’s records showed at least 73 fire alarms for the first quarter of this year.

Worn-out and loose electrical connection, electrical short circuit, unattended cooking, lighted candles are the most common causes of fire in most non-fire safety conscious communities.

On the other hand, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) launched a community-based approach in line with BFP’s 5K program or the “Kapilya, Kaandam sa Kaluwasan anaa sa Kamot sa Katawhan.”

The program aims to capacitate chapel officers and members on fire prevention and mitigating measures and to equip the residents with appropriate knowledge on how to respond to fire incidents. — Moira Beatrice Zamora, USC Intern KBQ (FREEMAN)