39 of 136 Towns in Central Visayas Still Without Fire Trucks – BFP 7

A total of 39 out of 136 municipalities in Central Visayas remain without a fire truck, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 7, which opened the Fire Prevention Month Sunday, said.

These include nine towns in Cebu, two towns in Siquijor, nine in Negros Oriental and 19 in Bohol.

In Cebu, the towns that lack fire trucks are Alcantara, Alcoy, Alegria, Asturias, Borbon, Pilar, Samboan, Santa Fe and Tabogon.

Chief Inspector Vonrad Fernando Dobluis, BFP’s Regional Operations Division head, said these town rely on neighboring cities and municipalities, some of which also have outdated fire engines.

The oldest fire engine in the region was reportedly manufactured in the 1950s.

Dobluis said they also lack safety gear, such as helmets, jackets and gloves.

“We lack a lot of equipment,” he said.

The BFP is in the midst of modernizing, with a Php3.4-billion budget last year to acquire firefighting equipment for the entire country, he said.

Based on the assessment the BFP 7 made in December last year, five fire trucks were unserviceable, while four were under repair.

Since the bureau was established, it has acquired 150 fire trucks from the national headquarters and 28 fire trucks from local government units (LGUs).

The standard is one fire truck for every 25,000 people, Dobluis said.

But Lapu-Lapu City, which has 14 fire trucks nine of which are owned by the city, lacks firefighters, the city’s fire chief Oscar Mayol said.

Mayol said they have 69 BFP personnel and 22 job-order workers provided by the city.

Mayol said they only have three personnel for every fire truck, far below the ideal ratio of 14 personnel for every truck. (PNA) FFC/EB