There are 119 red zones in Bacolod City, which are communities that cannot be reached by fire trucks because of narrow pathways and obstructions, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Friday, July 7.
Benitez who went to Purok Magnolia, Barangay 7, as firefighters were battling the blaze that destroyed 27 houses and damaged two others Thursday evening, said he saw the need for improvements in the response to such emergencies “I saw a lot of lapses that should be fixed”, he said.
There is a need to act on the red zone problem and to enhance water supply for firefighting operations, he said.
To address such concerns he held a meeting at the Bacolod City Government Center Friday afternoon to strengthen Bacolod City’s emergency response system, Benitez said.
“We found out that aside from Barangay 7, there are 119 red zones in Bacolod” where a lot of houses are located, he said.
“We are drafting a specific response plan for these 119 red zones” to put in place the best solutions, he said.
It was suggested that fire lanes free of any obstructions be established, and for water tankers to be made available 24/7, he added.
The city should also have fire hydrants where firemen can get water to put out fires, he said.
He discovered that out of the 135 fire hydrants in Bacolod City only 30 are working, Benitez said.
“And of the 30 none of them have enough pressure for the fire trucks to get water, so in other words they are of no use,” he said.
Benitez said he asked the representative of Bacolod City Water District- Prime Water to give him a report on what kind of rectification can be done.
The mayor said the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office will also be provided with drones to help assist firefighters in assessing the situation in fire-hit areas, he added.
Barangay Halls will also be provided with fire extinguishers because what is most important is the response within the first five minutes, he said.
Chief Inspector Stephen Jardeleza, Bacolod City Fire Marshal, said present at the meeting called by the mayor were responders, which included volunteer firefighters, and representatives of BACIWA-PrimeWater, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, and the Department of Social Services and Development.
The purpose of the mayor is to improve fire prevention measures and initial solutions were reached, Jardeleza said.
Long term solutions are also being studied for implementation, Jardeleza said.
The mayor said he was informed that the property where the 29 houses were hit by a fire in Barangay 7 is under a Community Mortgage Program (CMP) where residents are paying the bank.
The Bacolod Housing Authority is checking on the CMP, he said.
When the fire victims rebuild their homes they will have to follow a subdivision plan that conforms to the Building Code, which would require proper pathways, he said.
Firefighters were unable to immediately put the fire out Thursday night because of the narrow pathways in the area.*