The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Thursday, Feb. 29, urged the public to be vigilant in line with the beginning of the month-long observance of Fire Prevention Month this March.
In a statement, PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon also urged every household to practice the 4Ps (Predict, Plan, Prepare, Practice) as fire safety begins at home.
“Fire risk, especially in highly urbanized areas, is relatively high during summer. In fact, we see an increase in fire incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year," Gordon said.
"This is why everyone must take greater vigilance and observe fire safety precautions,” he added.
As part of the awareness campaign, the PRC has released a set of fire safety tips to strengthen the public’s fire safety awareness, reducing the risk of fire in communities, especially in fire-prone residential areas.
Meanwhile, PRC Secretary-General, Gwen Pang, emphasized that PRC’s ambulance units are generally partnered with food trucks and welfare teams, which will provide medical care, food assistance, and psychosocial support to fire victims.
The PRC is one of several humanitarian organizations with a fire department and an expansive set of assets, including 14 fire trucks, four fire tankers, and an Emergency Response Unit (ERU).
In 2023, the PRC responded to 279 fire emergencies, which is 16.74 percent higher than in 2022.
Furthermore, the PRC has expressed its complete support for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) campaign aimed at promoting fire prevention awareness throughout March.
"PRC is in full support of the campaign of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to raise fire prevention awareness throughout the month of March, which is said to have the most number of fire incidents due to the peaking of temperatures," PRC said.