Casualties in Caloocan fire show sorry state of BFP

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said yesterday the incident in which two firemen were accidentally electrocuted while putting out a fire in Caloocan City shows the state the bureau is in.

“If they had complete gadgets (and equipment), the effects of the accident would not have been so severe,” BFP Director Enrique Linsangan told The STAR as he called on President Arroyo to certify as urgent the BFP’s pending modernization program.

He said Pasig City fireman Senior Inspector Nashruden Cablayan suffered third-degree burns on almost 50 percent of his body while Fire Officer 2 Zoilo Crisostomo of Caloocan City suffered first-degree burns when they helped put out the fire at the old Ever Gotesco mall in Monumento.

Linsangan said he was thankful that both men survived the accident. The two have been given recognition and financial assistance.

The fire spread rapidly in the six-story building, which has been left “unused” for the past several years, before firemen with more than 30 firetrucks were able to control it at around 7 p.m.

Arson investigator Senior Fire Officer 2 Arvin David said they initially estimate that P10 million worth of property had been destroyed in the fire, but the figure “is expected to go higher.” They do not yet know what triggered the blaze, which was put out 19 hours after it started at around 1 p.m. the other day.

Caloocan City Fire Marshal Roel Jeremy Diaz said only the ground floor of the building is being utilized while the upper floors are used as stockrooms to store old documents and other materials.

Linsangan said that the lack of breathing devices prevented firemen from entering the burning mall. Based on BFP records in 2006, there were a total of 15,093 BFP personnel nationwide, with 11,689 actually assigned in firefighting units. Most of them have to share fire coats, boots, helmets, gloves and trousers with suspenders – basic gear every firefighter should have.

The BFP has only 3,742 coats and 3,214 pairs of fire boots for all its firefighters. In the National Capital Region, there are 2,229 firemen but only 360 coats and not a pair of fire boots among them. The BFP only has 4,731 fire helmets, 1,324 fire gloves and not one pair of fire-retardant trousers with suspenders.

To be able to completely equip each fireman, the BFP said it needs over P300 million. While the BFP requires 2,922 firetrucks, there are only 105 existing units and the bureau needs more than P600 million to purchase 2,817 vehicles.