CLARK FREEPORT — An official from the Bureau of Fire Protection reported that Pampanga is the most improved province in terms of fire safety.
Colonel Romeo Pepito, BFP Pampanga Provincial Director, said the number of fire incidents in the province decreased by 50 percent in 2023.
“Pampanga is most improved in terms of fire safety - almost 50 percent improvement. From 500 fire incidents a year, the number was cut down by half in 2023,” Pepito said during Pampanga Press Club’s KapiHann forum at Swissotel Clark on March 6.
March has been declared Fire Prevention Month by the government.
Pepito said the provincial BFP has prepared several activities in observance of the Fire Prevention Month.
The month-long activities include high-density fire drills, rescue, gift-giving to public schools (fire emergency kits), bloodletting, a simultaneous clean-up drive in the entire province, tree planting, house tours, and station fire Olympics at the barangay level to test the agility of personnel.
Pampanga BFP has 505 personnel which is only 33 percent of the required ratio of 14 fire crew to 28,000 individuals.
Despite being short-staffed, the fire official said there are enough fire trucks in the province.
“We have enough fire trucks in the entire province; what we are appealing for is the acquisition of land by every local government unit to house fire stations,” he said.