Bill requiring firefighters as first responders gets House nod

MANILA, Philippines — The task of firefighters will no longer be limited to putting off fires once a measure that is partly patterned after the United States becomes a law.

Yesterday, 236 members of the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill requiring Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel to be certified as medical first responders and emergency medical technicians or EMTs.

“In emergency situations such as fire, earthquake or road accident, BFP personnel are often, if not always, the first responders. They need to have adequate basic medical training to save lives,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said of House Bill 6512.

Romualdez said the quality of training that EMTs receive could “spell life or death for persons needing immediate medical assistance.”

The bill seeks to amend Section 4 of Republic Act 11589, otherwise known as the BFP Modernization Act, which was authored by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop.

The BFP, in coordination with the Department of Health, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority as well as local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, will undertake a training program for EMTs.

Uniformed personnel who have been in service as of Dec. 31, 2022 will be given five years to comply with the requirement to obtain an EMT certification, with the BFP shouldering training expenses and fees.