PAGADIAN
CITY: Less fires, more informed populace. This, city’s fire department said fire
incidents in 2014 is fewer than the previous year and damages to property
decreased to almost 82 percent.
Fire
Marshal S/Insp. Reggy Olmedo said, based in their comparative report, total
fire damages last year was P5,112,200, from 73 assessed burned structures in 28
fire incidents.
In
2013, a whooping P28,099,050 was recorded, involving a total assessed 76 burned structures
in 34 fire incidents.
Olmedo
explained that in 2014, most of the fire calls involved residential houses, followed
by business and government establishments. Two arsons were likewise recorded.
There
were two fire fatalities last year and a firefighter injured in the line of
duty, Olmedo added.
The
BFP here also deals with the municipalities of Dumalinao, Guipos, Kumalarang,
Labangan, Lakewood, San Pablo, and Tigbao, which are short of firefighting
equipment.
Last
year, Olmedo said they established three BFP sub-stations in Danlugan, Tiguma
and Santiago as part of their expansion program.
The
Danlugan sub-station, located eight kilometers north, covers 15 upper villages while
the one in Santiago covers 8 coastal barangays.
Meanwhile,
Tiguma sub-station protects the west portion of the city covering eight barangays,
which also includes the towns of Labangan and Tukuran.
Olmedo
said their fire station badly needs 5 additional fire trucks, to pick up the
ratio of one fire truck in every 20,000 population. (WITH REPORTS FROM JONG
CADION)