BACOLOD CITY – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) here is implementing controlled burning of grasslands to manage grass fires in this city.

Controlled burning was first enforced in the vicinity of Pope John Paul II Tower in Barangay 8 on Monday night.

THE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod enforces controlled burning to contain a grass fire at the vicinity of Pope John Paul II Tower in Barangay 8, Bacolod City on Monday night, April 1. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Prietos)

Fire Chief Insp. Stephen Jardeleza, city fire marshal, said that it is one of the strategies to conserve water, since responding to such incident is difficult and consumes so much gasoline, water, and energy.

In controlled burning, Jardeleza explained that all factors are controlled, such as the direction of fire, the volume of the fuel load, and the water discharge.

It is done in manageable blocks with the use of grasscutter and backpack sprayer to avoid relying on fire hoses, he said. He added that fire trucks are on standby if they conduct controlled burning.

Before implementing controlled burning in a specific location, Jardeleza said that they would announce the measure first through a radio network and coordinate with nearby establishments and barangay.

In the actual response to a grass fire, Jardeleza said that it is impractical to immediately penetrate the area because of too much heat on the ground which could burn their fire hoses. Instead, they think of a strategy to prevent the fire from going to the direction of nearby structures and houses.

The BFP recorded 130 grass fires last month, from 78 in February and 54 in January.

Last month, the BFP recorded six sugarcane, 15 residential, five commercial, 20 post, 26 rubbish, and three vehicular fires.

In the first quarter of this year, March had the highest number of fire incidents with 205, followed by 99 in February and 67 in January.