Areas declared “no firecracker zones”

CEBU, Philippines - The Mandaue City Fire Department has declared a number of “no firecracker zones” in the city.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Roy Garcia, Operations Chief of the Mandaue City Fire Department during a press conference yesterday, said that since there are “no firecracker zones” in the city, no permits were issued allowing individuals to sell firecrackers this holiday season.

The areas that have been declared as “no firecracker zones” are Sitio Aroma in Barangay Subangdaku; Sitio Asinan in Barangay Mantuyong; Basubas Compound in Barangay Tipolo; Sitio Lemonsito and Sitio Kamanggahan in Barangay Paknaan; Sitio Paradise, Sitio Bantayan sa Hari in Barangay Looc; Little Tokyo in Barangay Maguikay and Barangay Casuntingan.

According to Garcia, the areas have been considered as no firecracker zones since the houses are too close to each other and are mostly made of light materials, which makes them more prone to fires.

He said they will be apprehending those who will be selling firecrackers since they have not issued any permit to any vendor. 

Garcia said that the fire department has to implement this in order to avoid fire incidents during the holidays.

Starting December 16 to January 2, Garcia said the fire department will be carrying out the “Oplan Paalaala” campaign wherein they will be going around informing residents about the illegal selling of firecrackers during the holidays.

Garcia also said that during the period, their personnel will also be divided into three groups. The first group will be on standby in the city’s fire prone areas to advise the residents to avoid using firecrackers and substandard Christmas lights.

The second group will be distributing leaflets reminding residents to avoid using firecrackers and substandard Christmas lights, and is also tasked to inspect all stalls in the city selling pyrotechnic materials to see if they are following the provisions stipulated in the clearances issued to them.

The third group is tasked to apprehend those who will be illegally selling firecrackers during the Christmas holidays.

Meanwhile, Garcia said that although the selling of pyrotechnics in the city is not prohibited, they should still be inspected to see if they have complied with the provisions being stipulated in the clearances issued to them.

Garcia explained that before establishments can sell pyrotechnics, they should first put a signage in their stalls that says “no testing” and “no smoking”. The stalls should also have water ready in case any untoward incident happens.

Their stalls should also be equipped with a fire extinguisher.

Garcia said that so far, only three malls in Mandaue City have secured clearances from their office to allow them to sell pyrotechnics. These are Parkmall, J Center Mall and Insular Mall.

He added that these malls were instructed that the selling should only be made outside their establishments to avoid fire incidents.

Garcia said that the selling of firecrackers have been prohibited in the city after the 2011 fire that hit the stalls selling firecrackers at the North Reclamation area wherein one died and several others were injured.   (FREEMAN)