DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has rolled out its “Bumbero sa Barangay” program in nine fire-prone villages here to strengthen their linkage with the community and enhance their capacity on fire safety and prevention.

The program aims to develop resiliency and promote fire protection in the barangays through immersion of firefighters, conduct of advocacy campaigns, and pre-fire planning, said BFP Provincial Fire Marshall Supt. Noel Nelson Ababon in a recent Kapihan sa PIA forum. 

The deployment of firefighters is also part of BFP’s “Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan” flagship program.

The identified fire-prone areas in the city are barangays Bagacay, Bajumpandan, Banilad, Calindagan, Looc, Daro, Piapi, and Talay as due to its high population density.

One fireman will be assigned in each barangay. 

Ababon explained that firefighters will identify which areas or structures in the barangay are vulnerable to fire and scout potential evacuation centers in case of a fire emergency.

The firefighters will also conduct house-to-house surveys to determine the number of people living in each house, number of electrical appliances used in the house, the electric consumption of its residents, and good housekeeping practices.

The data generated from the survey will be used in crafting the community fire protection plan which will be later on disseminated to the residents.

“Igo ra mi mag-recommend. It is within sa mga tawo sa barangay if ila sundon ang among recommendation,” Ababon said.

(We can only make recommendations. It is still up to the barangay residents if they will follow it.)

Ababon also encouraged barangay officials to have their residents undergo trainings by BFP to become members of the Community Fire Auxiliary Group (CFAG).

The CFAG will serve as the augmentation force of the bureau in responding to fire incidents.

“Inig-organize ninyo sa inyong fire brigade, i-request dayon og training para mahatagan namo og certificate of competency,” he said. 

(Once you organize your fire brigades, you can immediately request trainings from us so we can issue a certificate of competency.)

Looc barangay captain Erwin Lozada said he is willing to organize the CFAG in his area to improve his barangay’s disaster preparedness capabilities.

Lozada said he plans to buy one penetrator fire truck for his barangay using their cash prize for winning last year’s Sandurot Festival. 

“Kinahanglan jud ni ang CFAG.. Ako jud ni sila ipa-train. Karon mo-purchase pod ko og bagong firetruck para na sa inner (alleys) para while waiting (sa mga bumbero) naa dayon moresponde,” he said.  

(CFAG is necessary and I would like to have the residents trained. I will also buy a new fire truck that can get inside alleys so we can respond to fire incidents immediately while waiting for the firefighters.)

Since January 1 up to March 5 this year, BFP recorded 30 structural fire incidents and 35 non-structural fire incidents (agricultural and grass fires) in Negros Oriental. 

Ababon said the most common cause of structural fires are faulty electrical systems.

The Kapihan sa PIA in Negros Oriental is a weekly multi-sectoral forum that is streamed live over the PIA Negros Oriental Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PiaNegrosOriental. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)