Fire dep't told: You're on your own

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama yesterday advised Cebu City Fire Marshal Aderson Comar to look for private individuals willing to help the Bureau of Fire Protection solve its lack of firefighting equipment.

Comar told the mayor yesterday that some of the fire trucks of the Cebu City Fire Stations are defective and cannot be used, but the BFP still does not have the needed funds to spend for the repairs.

Rama said the city cannot help in the repairs because the City Council did not approve the P70-million budget allocation for the purchase of fire trucks and the construction of additional fire stations in strategic places in the city.

Rama explained he encouraged Comar to adopt his Public-Private-Partnership policy where the private sectors will be allowed to help the city like donating the needed firefighting equipment.

The mayor called some of his department heads yesterday, including the City Health, Department of Engineering and Public Works, Department of Public Services, Squatters Prevention Encroachment Elimination Division, City Traffic Operations Management and others to discuss the problem about the series of fires that hit the city these past days.

Rama said he wants residents of thickly-populated areas to voluntarily ask City Hall to reblock their areas so that the city can quickly come in to build wider access roads to make it easy for fire trucks to respond in case of fires.

Comar also clarified that there are no orders preventing members of the media to come close to fire scenes. This, after several members of the media complained after several new recruit fire volunteers cordoned last Sunday’s fire scene in Barangay Lahug.

Meanwhile, BFP-7 Assistant Regional Director for Operations Supt. Esmael Codilla said the Cebu City fire station should be modernized as the city continues to grow into a modern metropolis. 

Codilla, who served as Cebu City fire marshal for eight years, said nothing has changed in terms of firefighting equipment since he left.

He added they cannot solely depend on the support provided by their national headquarters.

“These fire trucks can no longer survive constant and long hours of firefighting operation. We need new fire trucks to complement with the city’s growth,” he said.

He said the city needs at least four brand-new fire trucks which should be enough to enable efficient firefighting in a highly-urbanized city like Cebu.

“I’m not saying that we are not capable of responding, we just don’t have enough equipment. We can work properly without it,” he said.

Comar said two additional 1,600-gallon fire trucks are set to be delivered within the week. He said the new fire trucks were purchased through the P20 million fund approved by the Cebu City council in 2010. (FREEMAN)