Don’t let the heat hit you

YESTERDAY was scorching hot. The other day was already scorching hot, but it seems that each day that passes tries to outrace each other on which day was the hottest... and driest.

Let the heat that has been making us flinch every time we are under the sun remind us that this is the kind of heat and dryness that can easily trigger a fire. Take care.

While the summer heat seems to have started late, the month of March now about to end and only the past days were we reminded that the summer heat has turned on full blast, let us put at the top of our consciousness fire safety. March is the fire safety and prevention month. But the message about fire safety has not been raised that much simply because the weather chose to be different this time and we were still getting days of rain well into March. Those days are over, and the heat is upon us. Make sure we are all aware that fire can hit us anytime amid this heat. What are the common fire hazards?

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) always warns us about unattended stoves and kitchen fires. Never ever leave a fire in the kitchen unattended, whether it be gas, electric, or open fire. Then there’s our tendency to overload electrical systems. Most urban poor families use octopus wires and use all outlets available resulting to hotwiring that have caused many a conflagration. Candles are also among the most common causes. This is even more dangerous because most of those who use candles are the poor who live in cramp spaces where a single fire could easily engulf a whole community in minutes.

With the heat going this strong, watch out for grassfires too and take care of all your open fire, cigarette butts, and embers from a barbecue grill. Just one tiny lit cigarette butt can burn a mountain or your whole house and neighboring grassland. Take care.

Make sure that flammable solvents, liquid, and aerosols are stored in well-ventilated spaces; outside the house if possible.

It is at this time when inner-city settlements must strengthen their ranks and make sure that their streets are free of obstruction. This is not the time to insist on parking your trisikad or payong-payong on the street, leaving just enough squeeze room for people to walk past. This is not the time to believe that the stretch of the road in front of your house is your space and that you can stock anything on it.

Sitio, purok, and barangay leaders should ensure that all roads are passable all the time because with this kind of heat, we can never tell where the next fire will break out.