After mulcting cops, firemen warned against extortion tactics

A top official of the Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) warned Metro Manila fire fighters about demanding money before training their hoses on burning structures or those in imminent danger of being razed.

As embodied in BOF rules and regulations, severe punishments await firemen found guilty of extorting money from fire victims, said Fire Senior Superintendent Jose Collado, the bureau's deputy chief for operations.

Taking the lead of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Collado said it is about time the BOF also cleansed its ranks. The common complaint raised by Metro Manila residents is that firemen demand large amounts of money from businessmen and houseowners before hosing down burning establishments.

Last year, the BFP in the National Capital Region (NCR) dismissed 50 of its personnel from the service due to unexplained absences, proving how serious the bureau is about discipline and devotion to duty.

Since assuming his post a year ago, Collado said he has received no reports of extortion by NCR firefighters. He, however, called on fire victims to call his office at Telephone No. 911-9055 should they encounter "kotong" firefighters anytime in the future.

"Once reported to us, we will conduct a discreet investigation and mete out severe penalties," Collado told The STAR in a telephone interview. He assured victimized fire victims that their identities would be kept secret.

Collado said "kotong" firefighters may have existed in the past, but now, firefighters would have a hard time shaking down fire victims because their movements are closely monitored by superiors.

Fire Superintendent Jun Ocampo, head of the BFP NCR office echoed Collado's observation. He noted that complaints of

"kotong" are raised each time firemen conduct "cover exposure," done when firemen train their hoses not on burning buildings or houses but on adjacent structures to save them. "When we decide that a burning building or house is beyond salvage, we train our hoses on structures to its left and right to prevent the fire from spreading," Ocampo explained.

Collado explained that it is next to impossible for firemen to extort money because all responding firetrucks are obliged to call BFP headquarters. "We know who or what fire unit responded to the fire scene. So when a bribery complaint crops up, we readily have an idea as who are involved and it would be easy for us to unmask them," he said.

Furthermore, when a fire reaches alarm No. 5 or higher, the Fire Boss, in a bus loaded with monitoring equipment such as video cameras, rushes to the fire to record the scene. If it is not him, BOF officer-in-charge (OIC) Raymundo Padua mans the Fire Boss vehicle, Collado said.

"When our firemen are caught on camera demanding or receiving money from fire victims, then it will be the end of the world for them," said Collado.