Town fire station urges revelers vs firecrackers

ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija—Residents of this farming town have another reason to abstain from firecrackers this Yuletide season.

Despite the heightened alert declared by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Aliaga’s lone fire truck has been idle since September and will stay in its sorry state until the BFP allots a budget to purchase a new engine or change a transmission system, said Senior Fire Officer 3 Narciso Edubane, acting municipal fire marshal.

Edubane said he had asked the Central Luzon office of the BFP and the office of Mayor Marcial Vargas for funds.

While both offices have assured him of help, no immediate relief can be expected.

“The municipality is now looking for a transmission system in Metro Manila and in other places,” he said.

He said he had recommended to the regional BFP a change of engine, which would cost some P200,000, but officials told him no funds were available this year.

He said the regional office may allocate funds for the fire truck early next year.

The 2,000-liter Ford fire truck is about 40 years in service, Edubane said. “At that age, we can expect a truck or any vehicle to be eating funds for maintenance,” he said.

Aliaga, a second-class municipality (annual income: P45 million) has a population of over 70,000 in 42 villages. If the BFP rule on one fire truck for every 40,000 people is strictly followed, officials said the town should have at least two trucks.

Envisioned to be the “Divisoria of the North,” the town is hoping that the construction of a new highway connecting the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway to Aurora via Nueva Ecija would spur economic development.

Edubane said he was thankful that firemen here had not responded to a fire since the fire truck broke down in September. The latest fire in town occurred in May, he said.

“The cool weather here is our inherent advantage,” he added.

In case of fire during the Christmas and New Year holidays, he said local firemen could seek help from fire stations in Quezon and Zaragoza towns some 8-10 kilometers away.

Edubane called on residents to take all precautions and avoid activities that might cause fire.