WITH the establishment of mid- and high-rise buildings, the city government of Davao will soon acquire two state-of-the-art aerial ladder fire trucks worth P120 million for the Central 911 in an effort to provide efficient disaster response for Dabawenyos.
In an interview Tuesday, June 19, with Davao City Vice Mayor Bernard Al-ag at the sideline during the commemoration of the 157th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, he said the budget is part of the ordinance endorsing P420 million appropriation for the Davao City Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund Investment Plan (LDRRMFIP), which was approved on Monday during a special session.
The resolution was unanimously approved by the legislators however, he said that there are just some changes on the terminologies of the projects.
“The council was convinced nga kinahanglan gyud nato ni (we badly need this) because this is an imported na fire truck and then makaabot siya (it can reach) up to 15 floors and then it has a ladder,” he said.
He also said these modern fire trucks designed to suppress fires in high rise buildings, incidents like the fire incident in New City Commercial Center (NCCC) Maa will be contained quicker.
This will also give a boost for the Central 911 in responding to fire incidents involving medium to high rise buildings since, to date, fire trucks in the city are mostly outdated and may no longer complement the current landscape.
Although there were apprehensions among the councilors on the price of fire trucks, which amounted to P60 million each, he said the truck is far from the conventional trucks. It is equipped with large ladders that when extended are ideal for rescue operations and fire suppression in buildings.
“We need to equip more our 911 to augment also the operation of the Bureau of Fire Protection. Once mabili ito ng City government, additional equipment ito ng Central 911,” he said.
Since the ordinance has been approved, the acquisition of these fire trucks will be realized this year. Apart from the fire truck, there are also several programs that will be undertaken and equipment to be procured for risk reduction such as the back hoe and water purifier, which amounted to P22 million.
Al-ag acknowledged the fact that in times of disaster, one of the problems that arise is the lack of potable water. He said with the water purifier, delivery of water to disaster affected residents will be faster.
“Mahal ni siya nga mga equipment but I guarantee the Dabawenyo na once naa ni siya magamit nato ni, mapuslan nato ni lao na in times of disaster (This is expensive but I guarantee the Dabawenyos that once it will be purchased, this will be useful in times of disaster),” he said.