Police, driver put out fire in Badian

CEBU - Five policemen and a driver took over the fireman’s hose in Badian town Tuesday night when no fireman was available to respond to a fire at the Badian National High School.

The fire broke inside one of the school’s classrooms around 9:30 p.m. but aside from the driver of the fire truck, no fireman was at the Badian Fire Station when PO3 Vincent Aguanta, PO3 Walter Macasling, PO2 Redemer Abendan, PO1 Auberto Alcazaren and PO1 Arnel Tandaoy went there to report the alarm.

Left with no choice, the policemen and driver Romero Lamberte rushed to the school and handled the water hose themselves. Fortunately, Aguanta and Lamberte knew how to operate the hose and successfully controlled the fire in five minutes.

The fire reportedly started at the classroom’s wall, which was made of light materials.

The school’s watchman, Wilfredo Agravante, was the one who reported the alarm to the police.

In a phone interview, Superintendent Abondio Salinas Jr., deputy regional director of the Bureau of Fire, promised to look into the incident.

He said he would call the immediate officers of the firemen assigned to the station for an investigation.

“Dako ning kasal-anan kay abandonment sa trabaho mani. Ato lang sad ning tan-awn ug unsa ang mga penalty kung kani sab sila mapamatud-an nga sad-an,” Salinas said.

The Badian Fire Station is reportedly under and clustered with the Moalboal Fire Station.— Christopher Gabriel Bonjoc and Guam Logroño of Banat News/JMO   (THE FREEMAN)