The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has recorded an increase in firecracker-related fire incidents this year.
BFP spokesperson Supt. Annalee Carbajal-Atienza said that based on their monitoring, she said there were 19 cases of incidents related to firecrackers, explosions or fireworks this year compared to the seven such occurrences over the same period in 2021.
But Atienza pointed out that the 13,029 fire incidents recorded from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 this year is still lower compared to the 13,574 number during the same period in 2021.
She added that 191 municipalities need fire trucks and their fire stations to be activated.
The BFP spokesperson also appealed to the public to exercise ‘emergency drill in the home (EDITH)’ and advised households to discuss ways to ably respond to possible fire incidents.
“Families should talk about the location of fire extinguishers and fire exits as well as what to do in case of fire,’’ Atienza said.
Atienza urged the public to just watch instead the fireworks displays organized by their local government units (LGUs) and to avoid using firecrackers in their residences to prevent injuries and fire incidents.
As an option, Atienza advised the public to use kitchen utensils as noisemakers to welcome the New Year. (Chito A. Chavez)