Fire dept reminds public to take safety precautions

CEBU, Philippines —  As the 100 days countdown before Christmas Day begins, the Cebu City Fire Office (CFFO) has reminded the public to be cautious enough in putting up and using electric Christmas decorations.

CCFO information officer, SFO1 Wendell Villanueva, said that among those precautionary measures that people should consider when purchasing Christmas lights is to look for the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) mark approved by the Department of Trading Industry (DTI).

"Di ta mo-settle anang barato kaayo sa tanan nga mga Christmas lights niana kay ating tan-awon baling nigpisa sa mga wire niana ang posibilidad ana og dugay magamit moinit, inig kainit, molanay," said Villanueva.

He added that if the Christmas lights wire would melt in a surface vulnerable to fire, this could cause a bigger eruption of fire.

Aside from this, people should put a limitation when turning on the Christmas lights and must avoid using these overnight.

For those who are planning to spend their holidays over a vacation, Villanueva said they must double check their house for anything that might cause fire while they are away.

"Unya tan-awon nato og pwede ba sya indoors or outdoors, unya pipila kanato seguro bisan tunga-tunga sa pandemic adunay plano nga mobakasyon for holiday, before ta mobiya sa atong panimalay atong i-make sure nga na-off nato tanan nga appliances," said Villanueva.

If possible, he added, they should consider turning off their breaker. Further, they appeal to prevent the usage of firecrackers as it was observed to have been the top cause of fire during the holiday season.

Villanueva emphasized that they advocate a fire-safety conscious that could begin on the structural design of the house.

"Firecrackers, kuryente, pag-gamit nato og sobra sa Christmas lights, unattended cooking kanang magduwa og posporo," Villanueva said enumerating the most common causes of fire during the holiday season.

Meanwhile, in the absence of the face-to-face classes, Villanueva said they still hold fire-safety inspections towards private and public schools as classes begin.

"So ato na ng gipahigayon no way before the opening of classes, unya atong nakita nga adunay mga pipila lang seguro no nga i-correct, like sa electrical installation...fire extinguisher, smoke detector," said Villanueva.

Generally, schools here in Cebu City have been compliant with the fire safety protocols. — GMR (FREEMAN)