The measure requiring Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel to be certified medical first responders and emergency medical technicians has been approved on third and final reading in the House of Representatives.
Unanimously passed on third and final reading during plenary session Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 15 was House Bill (HB) No.6512.
Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City 1st district Rep. Roberto Puno, who presided over Wednesday's session, announced that the bill received 240 affirmative votes during nominal voting. There were zero negative votes and zero abstentions.
According to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the new requirement for firefighters sought under HB No. 6512 “will save lives".
“In emergency situations like a fire, an earthquake or a road accident, BFP personnel are often, if not always, the first responders. They have to have adequate basic medical training to assist and save victims,” Romualdez said.
“This is the reason why fire departments in many countries, including our own BFP, are mandated to have emergency medical service (EMS) units,” noted the Leyte 1st district congressman.
Romualdez added that the type and quality of training EMS personnel receive “can spell life or death for persons needing immediate medical assistance".
He cited the recent case of a popular American football player who collapsed after tackling an opponent during a nationally televised game. The player suffered cardiac arrest and his heart stopped beating. First responders administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him for 10 minutes before he was taken to a hospital.
Many American doctors said the CPR given by responding personnel saved the player’s life. They have also predicted that he could soon return to professional football.
“Ideally, that is the emergency response we want to achieve with the required certification and training for our BPF-EMS personnel under HB No. 6512,” the House leader said.
The proposed law would amend Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) No. 11589, otherwise known as the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Modernization Act. It is principally authored by Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop.
It will require the BFP regional director to designate in every fire station at least one uniformed employee, regardless of rank, to act as an emergency medical technician who will supervise fire officers in responding to medical emergencies.
The bill defines an emergency medical technician as “a trained and certified pre-hospital emergency care provider who is capable of performing extensive pre-hospital care, endotracheal intubations and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; administering medications orally and intravenously; and using automated external defibrillator and other complex emergency medical equipment".
The measure provides that upon appointment, a Fire Officer 1 “must undergo and complete the Fire Basic Recruit Course (FBRC), which shall provide the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to meet the minimum standards of fire personnel competence, including advanced first aid and emergency first response".
Upon completion of the course, the BFP shall give the officer a certification as medical first responder.
The BFP, in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, shall design and undertake a training program for emergency medical technicians.
BFP personnel designated as emergency medical technicians shall be certified as such, in addition to their training and certification as medical first responders.