BFP-Mandaue expands info drive to companies

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Mandaue City recorded 16 fires with estimated damages reaching almost P200,000 during last month’s Fire Prevention Month.

Of the 16 fire incidents, only three involved buildings, the rest were grass fires.

SFO4 Sherwin Porcia, chief of the Fire Safety Enforcement Section said the number of fire incidents last month was minimal.

Yesterday, a house owned by Alvin Bachinela in Doña Rosario Village in barangay Basak was damaged when one of its rooms caught fire.

According to SPO1 Cipriano Codilla, the room occupied by Bachinela’s son, Alvin Jr. caught fire after an electric fan overheated around 11:40 a.m.

The fire was controlled when the house inhabitants doused the burning room with water.

Codilla reminded residents not to leave electrical appliances unattended. Unplugging of appliances when leaving the house, he added is important to prevent fire.

Porcia on the other hand advised smokers to dispose cigarette butts properly whether indoor or outdoor.

Because of the summer heat, Porcia said, cigarette butts thrown on dry leaves may ignite grass fires.

Expanded campaign

The campaign to prevent fires in Mandaue City has been expanded from the 27 barangays to companies located in the city starting yesterday.

Yesterday, BFP-Mandaue held a fire prevention seminar in Sunpride Company, a food processing firm. The seminar will run until April 3.

“Pero ang days sa seminar-drills mag-dependi kung unsa kadako ang company. Sunpride dako maong maabot mi ug three days. And uban kay tag usa ra ka adlaw,” Porcia said.

(But the number of days of the seminal will depend on the size of the company. Since Sunpride is big, their seminar will run for three days. Smaller companies would only require one day.)  /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Reporter