Fire Prevention Month kicks off

CEBU, Philippines - Central Visayas’ top fire official reveals that six cities in Central Visayas will receive new fire trucks brought from Austria.

Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 7 Director Maria Luisa Hadjula revealed that the capability of local fire departments in Central Visayas will soon improve after their central office in Manila procured six fire trucks for the region.

Hadjula said that the fire trucks were brought from Austria and may arrive this month.

Recipients of the fire trucks include the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Tanjay and Bayawan.

Hadjula and officials of the BFP Central Visayas formally opened Fire Prevention Month at around 4 a.m. yesterday with a walk from the Cebu City Fire Department crossing uptown Cebu City then back.

This year’s Fire Prevention Month has the theme “Sunog at Sakuna Paghandaan, Kalikasan ay pangangalagaan upang matamasa ang Pag-Unlad nang Bayan”.

In a press conference yesterday, Hadjula told reporters that the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Month centers on not just fire prevention, but also on disaster preparedness and the preservation of the environment.

Hadjula said that she is also calling on the barangays to be active when it comes to fire prevention. She added that this month, they are introducing programs wherein the local fire departments will coordinate with the barangays in order to disseminate safety tips to the general public.

She also warns the public to be extra vigilant with the start of the Fire Prevention Month celebration which started yesterday.

Hadjula said yesterday that she is appealing to the public to pay attention to fire preventive measures.

Aside from their walk, fire officials conducted a demonstration  of  their skills on rescue and fire fighting.   (FREEMAN)