MANILA, Philippines–In anticipation of the New Year, the Bureau of Fire Protection on Wednesday placed all its units on full alert, a statement said.

According to the Department of Interior and Local Government, Chief Superintendent Ariel Barayuga, BFP Officer-in-Charge, has ordered all its BFP personnel to be at their respective stations with all their equipment ready.

Just before Christmas, the BFP launched Oplan Paalala: Iwas Paputok, Sakuna at Sunog that put the directive on fire personnel to conduct a series of fire safety inspections on establishments engaged in the manufacture and trade of fireworks and pyrotechnics.

“The main focus of the Oplan is to discourage the public from using firecrackers and pyrotechnics,” the statement said.

As of Dec. 28, 2014, there have been six firecrackers-related fire incidents which have caused P10.5 million worth of damages and resulted in injuries to at least three people.

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