Mobilizing community response teams to monitor open grass fields in Bacolod urged

BACOLOD City – The city council here is urging all 61 punong barangays and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to mobilize their community emergency response teams ( CERTs) and strictly monitor all open grass fields with high fire hazards.

Records of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in this city showed that in March, there were a total of 205 fire calls — 130 of which were grass fires, five sugarcane, 15 residential, five commercial, 20 posts, 26 rubbish, and three vehicular fires.

In the first two days of April, the BFP also responded to four grass fires.

On April 1, an almost twohour grass fire took place in Bangga Lote, Barangay Alijis.

Around two hectares of grassland were razed by fire in Barangay Bata on April 2, followed by another in Barangay Handumanan on the same day, and another in Barangay Banago.

With these, CERTs will be t asked with t aking precautionary measures to prevent potential grass fires, according to the city council’s approved resolution on Monday.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also called on the public, as well as all barangay officials, to be extra vigilant and to organize or reactivate volunteers to take part in the firefighting initiatives.

He reminded everyone to stop burning garbage and make sure that fire-prone and easily combustible materials are kept safely away.

On April 1, the city BFP conducted a controlled burning at the Pope John Paul II Tower in the Reclamation Area.

According to Fire Chief Inspector Stephen Jardeleza, control burning is one of the strategies to combat grass fires and to work efficiently with their current resources, such as fuel, water, and firefighting capabilities.

There is ongoing coordination with the barangays and business establishments for the conduct of controlled burning.

Jardeleza said the BFP is focusing along Bredco Port because of the wide grasslands in the area./