Bacolod City gets a firefighting boost with the operation of the latest fire station located in Barangay Alijis, and the commissioning of a mobile motor pool, the first to be launched by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Western Visayas.
In rites held at the barangay gymnasium on Monday, Chief Supt. Jerry Candido, regional director of BFP-Western Visayas, and village chief Deogracias Dela Vega signed a memorandum of agreement to formalize the activation of the Alijis Sub-Fire Station, the ninth in Bacolod, in the presence of city fire marshal, Chief Insp. Stephen Jardeleza, and Negros Occidental acting provincial fire marshal, Supt. Roel Legaspi.
“This is a very strategic area, considering its large population. Every progress that happens in a particular place should be equated with preparedness in responding to all kinds of emergencies,” Candido said.
“The people of Barangay Alijis and the neighboring barangays can now expect a quick response from us, not only during fire but also during all types of emergencies,” he added.
Dela Vega said that Barangay Alijis, which is among the city’s largest villages in terms of population, needs to have a sub-fire station to be able to respond swiftly to fire incidents.
Alongside the activation of the newest sub-fire station, the BFP also commissioned the region’s first mobile motor pool which aims to streamline the operations of the Bacolod City Fire Station.
“It will allow the central station to respond quickly and efficiently to emergencies and increase the efficacy of its services in terms of cost and timeliness as it ensures that fire trucks are repaired and serviced on-site, minimizing downtime,” the BFP-Bacolod said.
At present, BFP-Bacolod has 14 fire trucks deployed to all its central fire station and nine sub-fire stations as well as three ambulances.
The eight other sub-fire stations are located are in barangays 16, Villamonte, Taculing, Granada, Mansilingan, Pahanocoy, Sum-ag and Mandalagan.
“We have a good number of fire trucks but not ideal yet based on the city’s total population. Some 22 fire trucks of various model types and water capacities, that’s the ideal,” Candido said.
He also said the BFP-Bacolod aims to acquire an aerial ladder to be able to appropriately respond to fire and other emergencies involving high-rise structures.
“It is very important because more high-rise buildings are being constructed (in the city),” he added.*PNA