110 municipalities lack fire stations

A total of 110 municipalities in the country still do not have fire stations, records from the Bureau of Fire Protection obtained by the DAILY TRIBUNE showed.

The glaring lack of fire stations pushed back the efforts by the bureau to strengthen the country’s prevention and suppression of destructive fires following its procurement of 262 units of 1000-gallon fire trucks last year.

The BFP said that these emergency vehicles are suitable for the current firefighting and disaster response requirements in the country.

Last year, the bureau said 51 fire stations were built, making the coverage of fire protection services wider with only more than 100.

Aside from the lack of fire stations, the BFP also said that fire trucks across the country with more than 20 years old, will also undergo re-fleeting with new fire trucks.

The combined procurement for the remainder of 2023 and 2024 are 118 1000-gallon fire trucks, 60 500-gallon fire trucks, 74 type-1 ambulances, and automatic external defibrillators, among others.

Currently, a total of 117 land lots across the country are awaiting the construction of new fire stations in collaboration with local government units.

Provided there are no setbacks with all requirements before the construction, the bureau expects the building of fire stations in these places

will be built at the soonest possible time.