Fire marshall dies after surprise fire drill at DOJ

It was an exercise meant to save lives, but it proved fatal to a 51-year-old utility man.

Virgilio Rivera, motor pool supervisor of the Department of Justice (DOJ) who also loves to repair defective telephones, collapsed while acting as marshall in yesterday’s fire drill at the department.

The alarm signaling the drill caught office employees and beat reporters by surprise.

Witnesses said Rivera collapsed while inspecting offices engulfed with thick and dark artificial smoke.

They believed that the victim, called "Mang Vir" by many co-employees, inhaled too much smoke, triggering hypertension.

Rivera, who has been with the justice department for 23 years, was initially revived for about 40 minutes upon arrival at the nearby Philippine General Hospital, but eventually succumbed to hypertension.

The fire drill, normally conducted when Justice Secretary Hernando Perez is no longer around, was in line with the observance of National Disaster Preparedness Week.

"It is unfortunate that we have lost a valuable employee at the DOJ and I condole with the family of the late Virgilio Rivera, We assure the family that we will immediately investigate the matter seriously and provide all the necessary assistance due him and his family under the circumstances," Perez said in a statement.

He directed Undersecretary Ramon Liwag to conduct the probe to determine if the fire drill has something to do with Rivera’s death. — Delon Porcalla