3 dead, 4 hurt in fire truck mishap in Davao Oriental

MANILA, Philippines–Two firefighters and a government worker were killed while four others were injured when the fire truck they were riding crashed in Tarragona, Davao Oriental, Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The firefighters came from Mati City and were heading to Manay to help put out a blaze, Southern Mindanao regional police spokesman Superintendent Antonio Rivera said.

Killed were FO3 Ludivico Ponce and FO2 Arnel Jon Angsinco, both assigned at the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) station in Mati, and Nico Corambao, a city government worker detailed with the firefighters, Rivera said.

The incident occurred in Purok Tapul, Barangay (village) Tomoaong, around 1:30 p.m.

Investigation indicated that the ill-fated BFP fire truck’s (SGX-639) brakes malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to overshoot the road and turn upside down, Rivera said.

Four other BFP personnel were injured, he said.

The crash occurred just a few hours after Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and the BFP formally kicked off the “Fire Prevention Month” in Quezon City.

At the ceremony, Roxas announced that the government would buy 469 fire trucks for BFP stations in different parts of the country this year.

The purchase, worth P2.5 billion, is aimed at having fire trucks stationed every 12 kilometers and, ultimately, speed up the BFP’s response time, Roxas said.

Mati City is more than 40 kilometers away from Manay.–John Roson, Bandera