In case of a massive earthquake that might hit the National Capital Region, fire trucks can not only put fire out, but can also help save lives through their equipment.
This was what the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) demonstrated on Wednesday as it participated in this year’s Metro Manila earthquake drill at the Makati City Hall.
READ: Metro Manila, nearby provinces brace for ‘big one’ with shake drill
The BFP, in coordination with the Makati City government, performed simulations of rescue operations with its fire truck ladder, rope or rappelling, and super tanker fire suppression.
Three volunteers who played as victims were secured with harness and rescued from the city hall’s roof deck through BFP’s aerial ladder.
“May harness ‘yung mga ‘victims’ para hindi mahulog. ‘Yung mga ladder na ‘yan capable hindi lang sa pag-rescue pati na rin sa firefighting,” fire chief inspector Gregorio Elbambo told INQUIRER.net.
(The “victims” were harnessed so they wouldn’t fall. Those ladders are also useful in firefighting and not just rescue operations.)
The mock victims were brought to an ambulance on the ground for proper medical attention.
Elbambo said a rope safety or high angle rescue, also known as rappelling, was necessary in the event that no aerial ladder would be available.
“Kapag walang ladder dapat mag-high angle rescue kami kung walang aerial ladder. Kung hindi available ang aerial ladder, for example kung sabay-sabay sa actual event, mag high angle rescue,” he said.
(If there are no aerial ladders, we should conduct a high angle rescue. If the rescue operations happen simultaneously during the actual earthquake, we need to perform a high angle rescue.)
Since an earthquake may result in a fire due to damaged electrical wirings, the BFP also performed a mock fire suppression after the last victim was rescued.
Elbambo said it was part of the BFP’s mandate to respond to any natural emergencies.
He also reminded the public to observe precautionary measures, perform the “duck, cover, and hold,” and avoid panicking in case of an earthquake.
“Simple naman eh. Kapag earthquake, kung mag-shake ‘yung building pag mag-fail ‘yung alarm nila, kapag hindi nila naririnig at nafeel nila ‘yung shaking, diretso silang mag-execute ng duck, cover, and hold. Kapag nagstop ang shaking saka na mag-evacuate. Sa fire naman kasi, pag narinig nila ‘yung alarm, diretso silang mag-evacuate,” El Bambo added.
(It’s simple. In case of an earthquake and they feel the ground shaking, even if they don’t hear the alarm, they should automatically duck, cover and hold. They should evacuate only when the shaking stops. In case of fire, they should automatically evacuate once they hear the fire alarm.)
The scenario in this year’s shake drill was a 7.2-magnitude quake hitting Metro Manila, with the metro’s southern quadrant being separated from the rest of the metropolis with the collapse of the Guadalupe Bridge in Makati City. IDL
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