BFP far behind inspection targets

CEBU, Philippines - Over 20,000 buildings in Cebu City are due for inspection on whether the have complied with fire safety standards but the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) disclosed they are still at six percent of their target.

Cebu City Fire Marshal Sr. Supt. Aderson Comar admitted the backlog owing to the lack of personnel at the Fire Safety Inspection Division.

He has currently 23 personnel conducting inspections in all buildings in Cebu City.

The 23 personnel have so far inspected 1,452 buildings out of 24,000 due for inspection.

Comar said they are prioritizing the schools, dormitories and boarding houses, among others, since classes have just started.

BFP-Cebu City has a total of 170 personnel including non-uniformed personnel.

Aside from lack of building inspectors, Comar said they also need some 117 fire fighters to get the ideal number in all fire sub-stations in the city.

Comar said that ideally, fire substations must have at least 14 fire fighters but the 9 substations in the different barangays in Cebu City only have nine, 10, 12 or 13, the most.

He said they are having a hard time recruiting firefighters after the law requires that firefighters must be a college graduate.

“The thought of just working as a fire fighter or driver is somehow degrading for the college graduates so no one would like to apply,” Coma said.

To get the ideal ratio of the fire truck to the population, Comar said that they need at least 11 fire trucks. The current ratio of the BFP’s fire trucks to the population is 1:44,378 while the ideal ratio is 1:28,000.

Comar appeals to the City Government and to the barangays to put at least one mini-fire truck in the barangays so a team could easily respond to fire alarms.

The same shall be true to the 31 mountain barangays because BFP trucks could not reach beyond Nivel Hills in Lahug or even in Buhisan.

Comar said they need four-wheel drive trucks for mountain barangays.  — (FREEMAN)