The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) distributed Friday, Dec. 15, 54 brand new fire trucks to recipient local fire stations to enhance public safety.
In a statement, the Department of the Interior and Local Government's (DILG), which supervises the BFP, said the newly procured 1,000-gallon capacity fire trucks were provided to fire stations with no adequate firefighting capability and to re-fleet aging and deteriorating units.
“The distribution of these modern and state-of-the-art fire trucks is a testament that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and the DILG prioritize the safety of our communities and citizens,” DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur’’ Abalos Jr. explained.
Of the 54 fire trucks, the DILG noted that Bicol Region received the most fire trucks with eight units, followed by Caraga Region with seven and Northern Mindanao with five.
“CALABARZON, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon will get four firetrucks each; Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, SOCCSKSARGEN, NCR (National Capital Region) three each," the DILG added.
The DILG noted that Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, and BARMM received two firetrucks each while the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) got one unit.
Purchased through the 2022 budget and 2023 Early Procurement Activity (EPA), the DILG stated that the brand-new fire trucks are fully equipped with basic firefighting equipment such as fire fighting hoses and nozzles, foam generating nozzle with alcohol resistant- aqueous film forming fam (AFFF) and other firefighting operation tools and accessories designed using the appropriate fire service standards adaptable to Philippine conditions.
Aside from acquiring new fire trucks, Abalos assured that ambulances and equipment, the firefighters' skills and expertise will also be enhanced.
The DILG stressed that it will be done through capacity-building activities that aim to introduce new firefighting techniques and up-to-date technologies as part of the BFP modernization program.
“A BFP that is responsive to the call of the times and the needs of the people. Iyan ang pangako natin sa taumbayan (That is our promise to the people),” Abalos stressed.