Fire Prevention Month starts with hot season

Historically, the greatest number of fires takes place in March because it is the start of the hot season. The most traumatic fire experience that we have ever witnessed was the one that caused the death of our neighbor in Dasmariñas Village. We refer to the fire that killed KC Perez de Venecia, daughter of Speaker Jose de Venecia. What was tragic about her death was that the Dasmariñas Village men responded but could not rescue her from the burning house because they had not been furnished with the proper fire-resistant vestments. It was awful to know that a neighbor was trapped in their burning house and nothing could be done to spare her from the fire.

According to the records of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) a total of 46,719 fires were recorded nationwide from 2001 to 2005. This means that we get an average of 26 fires everyday. What is really sad is that even during the hot month of March, fires are not caused by the hot weather but by negligence of the home owners. In 1996, we had the case of the Ozone Disco Pub where 154 teenagers burned to death because the place was licensed for only 60 occupants but it was packed with 400 customers and the place did not even have a fire exit.

The BFP Report of 2001 also showed that fire incidents in 2001 increased from 7,213 to 10,728 but the number of firemen gradually decreased during the same period. One of the results was that fire damage also rose.

One of the developments that has added a new face to fire prevention and control are the new high-rise buildings. We still have to see how they will fare in the event of fire or earthquakes. Most of them have their own building management system that provides their occupants with locator maps to follow so that they can egress from the buildings in case of fires or earthquakes. One of the basic rules is not to use the elevators.

Fire prevention month had a bad start. Thirteen houses made of light materials burned down three days after the launch of Fire Prevention Month. The fire started at 8:50 p.m. and the firemen were able to place it under control in just eight minutes. Damage was estimated at P180,000 but the good news was that no one was injured or killed.

We must all be conscious of the fact that March is Fire Prevention Month and do everything in our households to prevent any possible fire. This means a close watch in the kitchen and checking our electrical connections. Together we can all decrease fire incidents in the worst month for fires, which is this month — March.