EDITORIAL - When preventing fire, safety requires knowledge

We should make it clear that just because we are observing the Fire Prevention Month this March does not mean we are only aware of the importance to take the necessary safety measures during the duration of our observance.

In a highly urbanized area like Metro Cebu, the fact that fires can occur anytime and come like a thief in the night only calls for absolute vigilance by the community 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Whether or not prevention is observed, it should always be noted that every member of the community has the duty to be aware of and responsive to fire. Safety always requires knowledge when it comes to avoiding fires.

Since January, more than a dozen fire incidents have occurred in Metro Cebu and across the province. Causes ranged from unattended lamps and appliances to children playing with matches to faulty electrical circuits.

Those causes, of course, could have been prevented if the community has always been conscious about fire prevention. That is why it is very important for people not only to be always alert but to know how to avoid being careless.

However, each community member should not make it a habit to just rely on the annual observance of the Fire Prevention Month to be reminded of the need to always put premium on daily vigilance and awareness.

We should make everyday a fire prevention day and not wait for the advent of Fire Prevention Month in order to take safety measures. Such observance is only just a reminder to the community about how calamitous a fire can be.

But since recklessness is bound to take its course, fire will always find its way into a place whose inhabitants lack the responsibility to prioritize prevention. For centuries, Cebuanos have witnessed how fires took countless lives and caused massive destruction.