Around 1,000 Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel will be deployed in 66 cemeteries in Metro Manila as part of the security measures for the observance of the All Saints' and All Souls' Days, or Undas. 

BFP-NCR Assistant Regional Director Senior Supt. Rodrigo Reyes  said BFP personnel will be dispatched in strategic locations and are ready to respond to emergency cases that may occur during this year’s Undas as huge crowds  are expected to visit the cemeteries to pay respect to their departed loved ones.

Reyes said the bureau is implementing the First Aid Service team (FAST) wherein medical teams are on hand in 66 locations in Metro Manila to attend to health concerns when the need arises.

He noted that the BFP emergency medical services (EMS) teams in the 66 identified memorial parks can immediately attend to the visitors in case they get dizzy or if they are experiencing hypertension.

Reyes assured that their medical teams are equipped with the necessary background and training to respond to the people’s medical needs.

“Mga registered nurse po sila so talagang dumaan po sila sa mga trainings po like iyong mga EMT (emergency medical technicians), paramedics so highly-trained po talaga ang ating mga nakasakay po sa ambulance po natin (There are really highly-trained registered nurses that are EMT-trained, highly-trained paramedics manning the ambulances),’’ Reyes assured.

Aside from being first responders during emergencies, Reyes stated that the BFP also continues to conduct regular year-round safety awareness programs which include information dissemination in communities and social media platforms, according to Reyes.

“Mayroon po kaming ‘Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan,’ iyong mga ‘Firetruck on the Road’ po… talagang umiikot po kami, nagbabahay-bahay po kami ngayon; aside po sa school, sa mga matataong lugar po, sa palengke namimigay po kami ng flyers (We also have Oplan Ligtas Pamayanan and Firetruck on the Road that are roving, going house-to-house now, aside from monitoring schools and crowded places, we also hand out flyers in the markets),’’ he added.

The Oplan Ligtas Pamayanan is an information dissemination effort of the BFP seeking the public’s participation in minimizing the number of fire incidents in the country.

Further, Reyes advised families who would opt to light candles within their homes during Undas to place it in a secured area outside, instead of leaving them lit indoors at the altar, for example, to avoid fire incidents.