BFP reports 4.02% decline in fire incidents from Jan to December

THE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported a 4.02 percent drop in the number of fire incidents from January 1 to December 26 this year.

In a television broadcast interview, BFP spokesperson Supt. Annalee Carbajal-atienza said that the 13,029 fire incidents recorded from January 1 to December 26 period this year were lower compared to the 13,574 incidents during the same period in 2021.

Atienza noted that there were an increasing number of fire incidents due to firecrackers, explosions or fireworks this year with 19 cases compared to seven cases in 2021 in the same period.

Atienza urged the public to just watch instead the fireworks displays organized by their local government units (LGUS) and to avoid using firecrackers in their residences to prevent injuries and fire incidents.

Atienza advised the public to use kitchen utensils as noisemakers to welcome the New Year.

She also appealed to the public to exercise an “emergency drill in the home [EDITH]” and advised households to discuss ways to ably respond to possible fire incidents.

“Families should talk about the location of fire extinguishers and fire exits as well as what to do in case of fire,’’ said Atienza.

She added that 191 municipalities need fire trucks and their fire stations to be activated.

Atienza also assured that enough BFP personnel and well-conditioned fire trucks are now deployed in strategic places especially in Metro Manila, citing the valuable contributions of the “force multipliers,” which are the fire brigade volunteers.

Atienza also said the BFP expressed overwhelming support to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s LGUS to set up a common area in their respective localities for fireworks display during New Year revelries to ensure public safety this coming New Year.

She noted that the BFP has continued to be visible to enhance the public’s awareness of preventing fire incidents to welcome the New Year.

Despite government’s efforts to maintain public safety in the New Year’s Day celebration, Atienza admitted that tracking down illegal fireworks sellers remains a challenge as they are mostly stored and sold inside residences.

“What we can’t really monitor, to be honest, is this illegal selling that is sometimes done in residential houses, residential areas,” she stressed.