CEBU CITY — For the past five years, firecrackers and electrical misuse were the top causes of fire incidents in the city.
With this, the Cebu City Fire Department (CCFD) will be intensifying its “Oplan Ligtas Pamayanan” campaign which aims to prevent fires during the Holiday Season.
"Our firetrucks have started roaming around the barangays. We will be sharing tips on how to prevent fires during the holidays," said SFO2 Wendel Villanueva, information officer of the CCFD.
In 2018, a total of 33 fire incidents were recorded in the city, while in 2019, 24 fire incidents happened in the city due to electrical problems and firecrackers as the common causes.
"The use of Christmas lights and firecrackers are common this month, that's why we have to intensify our campaign for the responsible use of these devices," said Villanueva.
The fire department will also help the Department of Health strengthen the "Iwas Paputok" campaign.
"Using firecrackers is already a tradition but we are pleading to the public to avoid it as much as possible," Villanueva said.
Villanueva reminded parents to watch their children closely during the revelry.
"Incidents of children getting hurt because of firecracker blast are very common. They have to be careful because there were instances wherein some kids played with firecrackers that they thought are already busted but it exploded in their hands," said Villanueva.
The fire department will also recommend to the barangays to put up a firecracker zone.
The public was also advised to avoid buying substandard Christmas lights.
"When buying Christmas lights, choose the ones with Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers because these are the ones that passed quality standards," said Villanueva.
Using Christmas lights for an extended time was also discouraged.
"The wires of these Christmas lights are very thin. If use for long hours, the wire gets hot easily and it will melt the insulation. This causes some sparks which will then lead to a fire," said Villanueva.