Council asks BFP to inspect houses

CEBU, Philippines - The Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) passed a resolution yesterday urging the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Cebu City to inspect the electrical system of houses in thickly populated areas.

This after the series of fires in the city was found to have been caused by electrical misuse, a reason the council does not buy anymore.

Engr. Eugene Elizalde, representative of the mayor to the PCAC, said that PCAC suspects the cause of fire is not always electrical misuse but because their electric system at home does not have safety features or not protected.

Elizalde said they want the BFP-Cebu City is to inspect the houses of densely populated areas where fire easily spread because of being close to one another. The BFP shall check if the houses have circuit breakers, correct circuit breaker rating and proper home electrical system.

Elizalde said that houses must have a circuit breaker to protect them from fire caused by short circuit or overloading.

A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. If the breaker detects fault condition, it automatically discontinues the flow of electricity to avoid fire. The circuit breaker must have a correct rating for it to function properly.

Elizalde said that the BFP must coordinate with the Visayan Electric Company for the inspection.

He said the group of accredited electrical engineers of VECO also commits to assist in the inspection. Elizalde said the inspection must be done as soon as possible before the Christmas season because by then, houses will start using Christmas lights which is also a common cause of fire. – (FREEMAN)