Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. tasked the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to improve its response time to save as many lives and property.
Abalos said the standard response time of the firefighters is seven minutes for every kilometer but in Metro Manila, it is about seven minutes per 2.5 kilometers due to the traffic congestion.
“So with this in mind, three things are important. Number one there must be strategy, teamwork and unity,’’ Abalos said during his visit at the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Headquarters.
Abalos emphasized the urgency to make the necessary adjustments pointing to the possibility of adding small fire stations, close coordination with the local government units (LGUs) where they can help procure fire fighting equipment like bombita (small fire trucks), involve the private sector and place additional fire hydrants in high density areas.
With the nation reeling from the pandemic, Abalos admitted that the government’s main focus is primarily to invigorate the country’s economy that makes it more necessary to strategize and maximize whatever resources the DILG has.
“Ang importante rito (What is important) it should be strategic yung mga lokasyon (the locations) and there must be a good strategy. There must be good teamwork about our teams and of course we must forge unity. Unity not only among the firemen but also with reference to the LGUs and the private partners,’’ Abalos maintained.
The DILG chief also pointed out that plans are also being mapped out to improve the congestion rate and living conditions of the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the jail facilities manned by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). (Chito A. Chavez)