IS the Cebu City Fire Department equipped to respond to fires in medium-rise buildings, or edifices four stories and above?
City Fire Marshal Chief Insp. Noel Nelson Ababon admitted that many of their firefighting gears are faulty and dilapidated, and that overall, they are in need of additional equipment.
“We have minimal capability when it comes to responding to fires in buildings that are four stories and above,” he said.
The fire marshal’s pronouncement was made during an executive session called by the Cebu City Council yesterday.
The council had invited Ababon and his colleagues, along with representatives of Ayala Center Cebu, SM City Cebu and Metro Gaisano to shed light on the hazards that may arise when a fire occurs inside a mall.
The measure was in response to several speculations and concerns raised in the aftermath of the Metro Ayala blaze that hit the building last Jan. 5.
Speaking before the council, Ababon lamented that his office has already sent a list of needed equipment to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) central office.
Among those that he had requested were thermal imaging cameras, hoses and tanks.
Ababon said that he also sought the assistance of their regional office to address the problem.
“BFP 7 is planning to purchase additional hoses and tanks for us, but it can’t accommodate everything due to lack of funds. The funds are not enough because other areas in Central Visayas are also requesting for additional equipment,” he said.
The City Fire Department’s BFP-issued fire truck and two other trucks issued by City Hall are still under repair.
Ababon said he has already coordinated with the Department of General Services for their immediate repair.
The cables of the older ladder truck that could reach up to eight stories were also damaged, he added.
During the Metro Ayala fire, the City Fire Department used the P57-million aerial ladder truck City Hall turned over to BFP in 2016. The truck can reach 18 stories.
Ababon said he has asked all Cebu City substations and volunteer firefighters to submit an audit report of their existing equipment.
“During the Pasil and Duljo-Fatima fires, I’ve observed that some of the volunteers did not have proper positioning of their gears, so we can’t discount the possibility of these being damaged,” he said.
Ababon also asked the council to augment their existing equipment.
The council, for its part, assured to address their problems on gears.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, though, reminded Ababon that they should also maintain the equipment as this is the main reason they always have problems with their gears.
“Buying new equipment is not enough. There should be proper handling and maintenance of the equipment. Daghan ko og nakit-an na hugaw kaayo na fire stations, gipang biyaan lang ang gears. Please, maintain them,” he said.
Meanwhile, fire investigators have yet to determine what cause the blaze that struck Metro Ayala 12 days ago.
Regional investigators started their probe last Jan. 8, while the personnel sent by the BFP central office started theirs last Monday.
Ababon said they monitored smoke on the fourth floor of the fire-gutted department store but assured that it was of no concern.
The BFP central office and the BFP 7 have yet to reveal details of their investigations.