DILG acquires 266 fire trucks for BFP

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is getting a boost in its firefighting capabilities with the government’s acquisition of 266 fire trucks.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said the fire trucks would be distributed to cities and municipalities this year and next year.

“Fire incidents usually peak during summer and we want our firefighters to be ready to be of assistance to the public during conflagrations and other emergencies,” he said in a statement.

The units will be delivered to fire stations without fire trucks and with 20-year-old fire engines. Fifty-six of the units can hold 1,000 gallons of water.

“We are hopeful that with the acquisition of new fire trucks, the BFP will be more than equipped to rush to the location of the blaze to put out the fire and rescue possible victims,” Año said.

He said the acquisition of another 56 units worth P700 million, 1,260 sets of self-contained breathing apparatus and three units of rescue trucks has already passed the early procurement stage. A notice of award will soon be issued to the winning bidder.

The procurement of 126 1,000-gallon fire trucks is now with the Philippine International Trading Corp., which is conducting post-qualification of the lowest bidder.

Año expects the award for the project to be made within the year.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of 28 fire trucks for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is ongoing. It was earlier reported that 96 of the localities in the impoverished region have no fire trucks.

“Ensuring public safety is one of the primary tasks of the government. This is why it fully supports the BFP’s modernization program by setting aside funds for the purchase of new fire trucks and equipment every year,” Año said.

The BFP needs a total of 3,606 fire trucks to meet the ideal ratio of one fire truck for a population of 28,000.

A total of 332 cities and municipalities in the country don’t have fire trucks, according to the BFP.