DILG wants sites for fire stations

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has sought the help of the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Science and Technology (DOST) in identifying ideal sites for fire stations.

DILG Secretary Mar Roxas said the program seeks to ensure faster response time during fires.

“There are 554 municipalities and one city that still have no fire trucks. There are about 14,000 skilled firefighters who lack equipment and firefighting,” Roxas said.

With a budget of P4 billion this year, Roxas expressed confidence that more than half of the problem would be addressed, including the shortage of fire trucks and equipment such as helmets, boots and trousers. 

Roxas said the shortage of fire trucks and stations prevents firefighters from doing their job. He said there are municipalities without any fire fighting capability.

“This means the nearest fire station with fire trucks will not reach a town without firefighting capability within the internationally accepted period for fire response,” Roxas said.

The DILG chief is targeting to reduce to six minutes, at most, the response time to fires. He said this year the agency is planning to buy more than 300 fire trucks and fire station sites.