CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro (PIA) — More than 5,000 students learn about fire safety and emergency preparedness in the fire drill from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on Thursday, March 27.
The BFP personnel led the series of drills and demonstrations across all three campuses of Mindoro State University (MinSU)– Calapan City, Victoria and Bongabong towns.
In an interview, Fire Officer 1 Ivy A. Deguia highlighted the importance of fire drills to educate an individual if a fire emergency occurs.
“Siyempre, malaki ang role ng fire drill kasi mae-exercise ang response n’yo. Halimbawa, nagkaroon ng fire emergency, alam n’yo na ang gagawin n’yo, kung saan kayo pupunta at paano gumamit ng fire extinguisher,” said Deguia.
As sirens rang, students, faculty and staff promptly followed evacuation protocols, reinforcing the importance of orderly responses during fire incidents.
BFP personnel demonstrated essential firefighting techniques, such as the proper use of fire extinguishers, fire hoses and rescue operations. A hands-on bucket brigade exercise also allowed participants to engage in a traditional firefighting method that underscored teamwork in containing small fires.
Alvin Roy Ola, a second-year college student, shared that the drill raised his awareness about fire safety, especially with the arrival of the summer season.
“This fire drill can help many people, especially the individuals who attended the activity. It can raise their awareness on how to handle a fire lalo na po at hindi natin alam kung saan at kailan pwedeng magkaroon ng sunog. This is a good approach lalo na po at summer season na, mas mataas po ang chance na magkaroon ng incidents involving fire, kaya malaki po ang tulong nito sa marami,” he said. (JRR-OJT/PIA MIMAROPA-Oriental Mindoro/Photo by The Tumbler)
