Jose Tan jumps into the flames: Fighting fire

While man has harnessed fire, it will never bow to the will of man. Fire is the most destructive and frightening element of all–it burns away homes and flesh as surely as it can cook food or provide life-giving warmth.

For those who have been victimized by fire, whose homes have been consumed by flame and whose lives have been set ablaze and reduced to ashes by its power, fire is the earthly avatar of hell’s minions.

Jose Tan’s dedication to fire prevention and control can best be described as "fire in the belly". It was largely from his efforts that we now have a reliable band of fire fighters who respond to fire situations at all hours of day and night, anywhere in the metropolis and beyond.

These volunteer firefighters are Filipinos of Chinese descent, naturalized Chinese who have embraced the Filipino way of life. They give their allegiance to the Philippine flag and give their lives to save those of their fellow Filipinos.

"When I arrived in the Philippines, I discovered how much damage fire could do, especially to the very poor," relates Tan, a merchant by trade. "(At that time) when there were fires, you had to pay the firemen to put out the fire. The very poor could not afford this and so the flames would spread far and wide."

There were many fires, he recalls, especially in Chinatown. "Fires would spread, consuming one block, then another block and another block. In the 1950s and 1960s, I thought it would be a good thing to organize the Chinese community and start a barangay-based fire prevention program." This effort resulted in the formation of the South San Nicolas Fire Prevention Association in 1970.

"But we could not fight fires. We only watched over each other and helped spread awareness about fire prevention. Then we decided to organize the Chinese-Filipino Volunteer Fire Brigade (CFVFB)."

As is the Chinese way, this endeavor started small, like the proverbial mustard seed, with carriage-bound fire pumps as their apparatus and their movement limited only to Tondo, Binondo and Caloocan. Standard safety gear for these brave souls consisted only of heavy denim fire coats, rubber boots and helmets. Their training was basic: How to douse fires using their carriage pumps and other standard safety procedures.

In its early years, the CFVFB had other obstacles they needed to hurdle to get to where they are now. "At first, when we would respond to fires, our communication system was so slow that we would get to the scene of the fire when the blaze had already consumed several homes, even whole city blocks," Tan recalls. "At one time, I had to conserve my tanker’s water because there were no working hydrants where the fire was. I had to turn my hose to the endangered block that was right next to the conflagration. A man threw his wallet at me, cursed me, told me to take his money and ordered me to put out the fire where his house was. I had to keep focusing on saving the homes that could be saved and allow the ones already in the grip of the flames to burn down because I did not have enough water."

Their efficiency and readiness to respond also engendered some amount of hostility, when fire victims openly showed their preference for the volunteers over government fire fighters. "I had to tell them that we are the same, we are fire fighters, we are all here to help them," Tan explains, his reason being that "if there are more of us to fight the fire, then we can put out the blaze in less time, saving more lives and homes."

Twenty-five years later, the CFVFB grew into the Association of Philippine Volunteer Fire Brigades Inc. (APVFBI), which boasts of modern units equipped with pumpers, aerial ladders and water tankers. Volunteer fire fighters now face the flames wearing fire-proof coats and pants, carry two-way radios and breathing apparatus. With 105 vehicles–fire trucks, water trucks and ambulances–the APVFBI’s operations have expanded to beyond the borders of Manila; there are now 32 chapters of the volunteer brigade all over the country. And they don’t just fight fires; they help prevent them as well, by conducting free drills for schools, hotels, condominiums and other heavily-populated buildings.

The volunteer brigade is run like a tight ship: "None of our firefighters is allowed to accept money, food or drinks from the fire victims during or immediately after the fire. We frown on and disallow that. However, if, after the fire, the families want to invite our fire fighters for drinks or a meal, they may accept that invitation once the victims have recovered from their ordeal and have settled back into normal life."

Since the volunteers give so much, the organization looks after their members. Although the APVFBI is supported purely by donations from the community, those who are injured in the line of duty are given monetary support and compensation. "If they are injured in a way that forces them to stop working at their professions, we provide them with monetary support equal to their salaries," Tan reveals. The organization also provides scholarship funds for the children and financial support to the spouses of the volunteer firemen who die in the line of duty.

The APVFBI is now housed in modern headquarters that house its computerized control center, where fire dispatchers use uhf radios to communicate with their field personnel and where computers display detailed maps of every street in Metro Manila and outlying towns. With these maps and radio equipment, dispatchers can send fire fighters accurate data as to where the fire is and the fastest route to get to the emergency site. Located on the corner of Leveriza Street and Quirino Avenue, the APVFBI headquarters is easy to pick out–just look for the huge radio transmitter crowning the four-storey building.

Since firefighters must be "fighting fit," the fourth floor of the building houses a gymnasium with exercise machines, free weights, jump-ropes and other fitness equipment that off-duty APVFBI volunteers can use.

Just before you reach the exercise equipment, you will pass an altar with a statue of the dark-skinned Sto. Niño de Cebu and the Chinese Patron Saint of Fire standing on either side of a large Buddha, a reminder, perhaps, that prayer is part of the fire fighter’s arsenal. Beside this altar hang pictures of fire fighters who died in the line of duty.

Realizing that international cooperation with other volunteer fire brigade associations is vital to the continuing battle against fire, the APVFBI has formed linkages with the China Fire Protection Association and the Federation of World Volunteer Firefighters, with whom the APVFBI exchanges information and training regularly.

The APVFBI also engages in close interaction with the government, conducting joint fire safety seminars and training activities with the BFP and other related offices of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and local government units (LGUs).

The APVFBI also has weekly medical missions, bringing free dental and medical treatment to the poorest of the poor. The unique thing about these medical and dental missions is hat "western-style" medical doctors and Oriental medicine practitioners work side by side.

If you do not want to be poked and prodded by a doctor with the letters MD after his or her name, you can be poked and prodded by the mission’s acupuncturists, accupressurists and herbalists. You also have a choice of over-the-counter medications and conventional drugs or Chinese herbal preparations, decoctions, poultices and tonics.

It is for this effort and the fruits of that effort that Tan was hailed as one of the Outstanding Filipino-Chinese in the recently held Jose Rizal Awards for Excellence, which honors outstanding achievement in various fields. Tan was recognized for his work in community service.

Giddy as a young boy, Tan’s reaction to receiving the award was this: "I felt good. It felt good to be recognized for my work."

But the real reward, according to Tan, is in the job itself: "When we successfully put out fires and save homes and lives, the families we help would thank us, embrace us, with tears of joy in their eyes. That is the best part of the job, the happiness we bring these people who were going through so much pain."

Another positive by-product of the volunteer Chinese fire brigades comes in the destruction of walls. There has been a long history of two-way discrimination between Chinese and Filipinos with whom they live and of whose lives they have become a part.

"Before, the Chinese looked down on Filipinos and Filipinos resented the Chinese," Tan says with no trace or bitterness or animosity. "Now, with the action of the APVFBI and its brigades, we are breaking down the cultural barriers that kept Filipinos and Chinese apart. There is now acceptance and tolerance and there are the beginnings of oneness. We are all Filipinos."

Ins this spirit of oneness, the valiant volunteer fire fighters of the APVFBI are ready, willing and equipped to come to your aid, especialy when your house is on fire.

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The APVFBI 24-hour hotline is 522-2222.