Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has created a task force for fire prevention that aims to address the leading causes of fires and to further prevent such incidents in the city.
“Dahil sa sunud-sunod na mga insidente ng sunog sa ating lungsod, lumikha tayo ng task force upang pag-aralan ang mga hakbang na pwedeng gawin para maiwasan itong maulit (Due to the series of fire incidents in our city, we created a task force to study the steps we can take to prevent these incidents from happening again),” Belmonte said.
The local government said that the Task Force on Fire Prevention and Preparedness, which consists of different city government departments and utility companies including Meralco, Manila Water Company, Inc., and Maynilad will create programs and projects and will ensure swift response to fire incidents in the communities.
It will also work with the City Council to craft a local “Fire Safety Code,” it added.
“Maiiwasan natin ang sunog sa ating komunidad kung tayo mismo ay gagawa ng paraan upang mapanatiling ligtas ang ating pamilya at tahanan (We can prevent fires in our community if we ourselves will take steps to keep our families and homes safe,” said Belmonte, who also encouraged the city residents to participate in fire drills.
Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica, Committee on Public Order and Safety chairperson, said that he will propose necessary legislation pertaining to fire safety and prevention.
Ludovica added that most of the recent fire incidents in the city happened in informal settler families (ISF) communities.
He said that the narrow roads in these communities causes delay in the response of firefighters.
The city government said the leading causes of fire in the city were electrical ignition, followed by open flames attributed either to unattended cooking and unattended candles based on the QC Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)statistical data report for the past five years.
It added that electrical fires at home were caused mostly by electrical ignition/ short circuits of electrical wiring connection due to either wear and tear of wiring; short circuits from defective and worn insulations; old wire electrical systems; use of octopus extension wire outlets; overheating appliances; and jumper connections.
It alsaid that home electrical fires can be avoided by constant monitoring and checking of appliances; annual or bi-annual inspections of house electrical wiring systems; unplugging electrical appliances when not in use; and keeping flammable items away from the stove and out of children’s reach. Burning candles and cooking stoves must also not be left unattended.
The BFP has also advised the residents to have their electrical connections checked by a licensed electrician every two years.
The mayor also emphasized the need to train more fire volunteers as part of the Community Fire Auxiliary Group (CFAG), who are expected to be among the first responders to fire incidents in the communities.