Frasco wants helicopters for firefighting

CEBU, Philippines — Deputy Speaker and Cebu Fifth District Rep. Duke Frasco has pushed for the procurement of firefighting helicopters next year.

Frasco filed House Resolution No. 1686 urging the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Department of Interior and Local Government to include in their national expenditure program for 2025 the acquisition of airborne firefighting units.

“Aerial firefighting is considered a highly effective approach for fire suppression in both urban and rural settings, especially for widespread fires,” read part of Frasco’s resolution.

As the BFP is yet to be capacitated and equipped with the necessary aerial firefighting equipment, Frasco asked the BFP to buy its own firefighting helicopters in order to integrate this method in their operations without the need to depend on the availability of other entities such as the Philippine Air Force.

Frasco expressed concern on the rapid increase in the number of fire incidents in the country which has already reached around twenty-five percent (25%) just in the first two months of 2024.

For the past years, he said fire incidents have become a big problem in the Philippines.

Frasco said that among the most common challenges encountered while responding to such fires, especially in densely populated and residential areas, are the delayed arrival of firefighters due to severe traffic congestion and their difficulty in accessing the fire-affected and congested sites due to minimal and low upgrade firefighting gears, equipment, and vehicles.

Frasco stressed the importance of capacitating the BFP and ensure its responsiveness by upgrading the level of its fire protection services through measures including acquisition of new and modern equipment and vehicles such as firefighting helicopters.

This is also in line with the BFP Modernization Program that is geared towards the enhancement of the capability of its personnel and acquisition of state-of-the-art fire prevention, fire suppression, fire investigation, and emergency medical and rescue services facilities and equipment.

Frasco hopes to further the efforts of the government in the enhancement and modernization of the BFP in order to fulfill its mandate of ensuring public safety through the prevention and suppression of all kinds of fires, with the active support of the community.

Republic Act No. 6975 has established the BFP under a reorganized DILG, which shall be responsible for the prevention and suppression of all destructive fires.

While R.A. No. 11589, otherwise known as the "Bureau of Fire Protection and Modernization Act", provides that the BFP, in coordination with the DILG, shall establish and implement the BF Modernization Program which shall be geared towards the enhancement of the capability of its personnel and acquisition of state-of-the-art fire prevention, fire suppression, fire investigation, and emergency medical and rescue services facilities and equipment;

Frasco said that a component of the BFP Modernization Program is capability, material, and technology development, where the existing fire protection equipment and services of the BFP shall be upgraded through the acquisition of new and modern equipment, vehicles, and personal protective equipment.

The deputy speaker cited a recent fire incident that hit a residential area in Isla F. Manalo, Barangay Batis, San Juan City which reached the third alarm before it was put out.

The said fire which lasted for almost three hours caused the death of one volunteer firefighter, affected about 80 families composed of 318 individuals, and destroyed a total of P1.5 million worth of properties.

The Resolution added that the most common issue in responding to this similar fire incident in residential and densely populated areas is its accessibility due to narrow streets and pathways and adverse traffic conditions. — /FPL (FREEMAN)