BFP gets 38 firetrucks in time for fire prevention month

A DAY before the fire prevention month begins, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) received 38 new and modern fire trucks to be deployed in major cities nationwide to boost the agency's capabilities.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II said the Austrian-made Rosenbauer fire trucks can discharge 2,400 liters of water per minute and are also capable of reaching up to eight building floors.

"Napakahalaga nito dahil kulang na kulang nga ng gamit ng ating mga bumbero at ito’y makakadagdag sa kanilang kakayahan (This is very important because our firemen lack some key equipment and it will also boost their capabilities)," said Roxas, who led Wednesday's turn-over ceremonies for the fire trucks.

He added that the trucks are designed for responding to fires in highly urbanized cities. Each truck has a total of five firefighting weapons that can be used simultaneously for faster and better fire control efforts.

The 38 firetrucks turned over on Wednesday comprise half of the total 76 units procured by the Department of Interior and Local Government.

The first batch of firetrucks was turned over to officials from the cities of Quezon, Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Las Piñas and Taguig.

Recipient areas from the provinces include major cities, such as, Baguio, Batangas, Calamba, Angeles, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Zamboanga, and General Santos, among others.

The remaining batch of firetrucks is set to be delivered and turned over within the year to the other recipient cities.

The firetrucks were acquired through a soft loan package from the Austrian government worth about 20.5 million euros (P1.1 billion) payable in 17 and a half years with an interest rate of 1 percent per year. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)