BFP launches recalibrated community-based fire safety masterplan
By Chito Chavez
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has introduced on Monday, Jan. 19, an improved masterplan which provides a proactive, community-centric fire suppression model.
Dubbed as “Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan (OLP), the BFP explained that the new masterplan recalibrated fire suppression protocols designed to empower the local community to become their own first line of defense against fire disasters.
Under the program, the BFP saidcommunities are divided into color-coded “vulnerability zones" using a data-driven risk assessment strategy.
The BFP noted that another key feature of the program is the “Bumbero sa Barangay” where action stems in the grassroot levels.
“Every BFP officer is assigned as a focal person for a barangay to lead fire prevention activities. This includes House-to-House Fire Safety Surveys, Community Fire Auxiliary Groups (CFAG), and Handang Pamayanan Program—a series of workshops for residents in creating their customized Community Fire Protection Plan (CFPP),’’ the BFP noted.
Further, the BFP emphasized that the masterplan also mandates every “purok or sitio (zone)’’ to annually conduct simulations to test the entire fire response chain, dubbed as “Damayan sa Kapitbahayan”.
Unlike the basic fire drills, the BFP furthered that these simulations will be from the moment of a fire alarm down to the evacuation of residents.
The BFP emphasized that the fine-tuned masterplan hopes to address drawbacks from the previous plan, adapt to the changing fire suppression landscape, and highlight that fire safety is a shared responsibility between the bureau and the Filipino community.