BFP: Fire incidents in PH rise by 20.7% in 2023

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has recorded 15,679fire incidents in the country from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 this year, which represented a 20.7-percent increase compared to the 12,000 fire incidents in the same period in 2022.

In a news briefing on Tuesday, Dec. 26, BFP Spokesperson Supt. Analee Atienza said most of the fire incidents occurred in residences not covered by the “Fire Code”.

She explained that the BFP only comes in when fire safety inspections are done on newly constructed houses before they are occupied by the household members.

Over the years, Atienza noted that electric appliances have been added and new household members have joined the original residents where most of the time electrical lines and the capacity are overlooked and not checked.

The BFP official cited that electrical arcing, electrical ignition caused by loose connection and smoking or lighted cigarettes are major causes of fire incidents.

Electrical arcing is when electricity jumps from one connection to another and if the electrical wires are worn-out, hardened or peeled by house pests that may cause fire, according to Atienza.

She pointed out that the use of electrical appliances like flat irons for many years may loosen the plugs and is a fire hazard similar to cigarette smoking.

On a bright note, Atienza said that from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26, 2023, the BFP recorded 24 fire incidents due to firecracker use compared to the 28 cases during the same period in the previous year.

From Dec. 23, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024, Atienza disclosed that the BFP will remain under the ‘Code Red Alert’ that may be extended where the bureau is in full force, ready to respond to emergency cases and with no leave of absence by its personnel allowed.

With the ‘Code Red Alert’, Atienza revealed continuous fire prevention activities where the BFP personnel are on tap to conduct increased level of fire prevention awareness in the community with roving fire truck visibility, inspection of manufacturers and sellers of firecrackers and road shows in malls are conducted with the mascot ‘Berong Bombero.’

With the increased roving fire truck visibility, the BFP reminds the people through its public address system especially in bus terminals and crowded places to strictly observe the fire safety tips courtesy of the orange-clad BFP personnel.

Atienza asserted that, at some point, the orange-uniformed BFP personnel, often referred to as ‘ponkan’ inculcates the public’s mindsets to adhere to the fire safety prevention regulations.