LET me give a scenario. While walking around the neighbourhood, you notice a portion of a house is catching fire, what would you do? Do you know the hotline number of your local Bureau of Fire Protection? Did you save that number on your cellphone? Knowing what to do in an emergency is very vital in order to rescue property and most importantly, save human lives. Every ticking second is crucial and a proper response is very significant.
While the queens are celebrating the Women’s Month, March is also Fire Prevention Month. We can already feel the arrival of the summer. Singkamas and mangoes are already being served on the table; electric fans and the aircons’ horses are back at work to cool us off from the scorching heat. And this is why the BFP in Angeles City is more than active in its campaign against fire.
City Fire Marshall Josie Lising together with her deputy Arnold Simbulan and their team have lined up a series of activities for this month. They also encourage the village officials of the 33 barangays in Angeles to join in their campaign and training against fire tragedy. As of this writing, only six out of thirty three barangays have pledged to participate in this life-saving training. The lady Fire Marshall during her guesting on my radio program said that Councilor Joseph Ponce is now creating a resolution to mandate barangays to form a team that will respond to emergency cases like fire. Wilson Velasco reacted: “Why wait for a resolution? The barangay leaders should have the initiative!”
Firefighters keep reminding us to the saying that “mabuti nang malooban kaysa sa masunugan.” Our family friend, Ferdie Calma can attest to that. This is why the BFP here in Angeles are distributing leaflets and other reading materials giving tips and advices on how to prevent being a victim of fire, what to do in case of fire, and other helpful information. The national hotline number 911 is already in effect but if you are residing in Angeles, better save this on your phone book: (045) 322-2333 or (045) 322 0911.