EDITORIAL — Still no fire trucks, fire stations

A recent incident in the Philippines was picked up by foreign media organizations: the death of eight people including three minors in a fire that gutted a house in Metro Manila within less than an hour.

The fire struck the three-story house in Galas, Quezon City at 2 a.m. on Feb. 27, as the nation prepared to observe Fire Prevention Month in March. Twenty-four fire trucks responded and managed to put out the fire within 48 minutes, preventing its spread, but the victims were trapped inside the house. The survivors reportedly managed to flee to safety through a hole in the roof. The cause of the fire, which reportedly started on the second floor, remains unknown.

Response to the fire was swift, but there remains a wide room for improvement in fire response. In the National Capital Region, fire response capability has been boosted with the procurement of new fire trucks including vehicles small enough to enter narrow streets in depressed communities. The government has set up fully equipped mini fire stations even in some private gated subdivisions. Private volunteer firefighting brigades with their own fire trucks and equipment also augment responses in Mega Manila.

Outside the NCR, however, 61 municipalities still don’t have a fire truck and fully operational fire station, the Bureau of Fire Protection reported. Most of the 61 are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Soccsksargen, with a few in Calabarzon, according to the BFP.

For the entire 2024, the BFP recorded 18,256 fire incidents – higher than the 16,433 in 2023. The fires left 341 civilians dead and 1,338 injured in 2024 – up from the 321 fatalities and 1,050 injured in 2023. Property damage from fires in 2024 was placed at nearly P14 billion – higher than the P13.191 billion in the previous year.

Local government units must take the lead in ensuring adherence to fire safety standards and promoting fire prevention practices. Horrific fires in recent years have raised public awareness of the importance of fire prevention. Accidents, however, will continue to happen, so there must be a continuing upgrading of the resources and capability to respond to fires.