00:00 Five minutes of response from Bureau of Fire Protection. We will talk with Fire Inspector Jill Ilustrisimo, the Chief of the Public Information Office of the BFP-NCR.
00:11 Inspector Jill, good morning to you.
00:13 Good morning sir and to all the viewers of your program.
00:21 Yes, the target of the BFP-NCR is to have a five-minute fire response. How will this be implemented by the Bureau of Fire Protection and what is its purpose?
00:34 Yes sir, our five-minute response, we should also consider the number of fire stations here in Metro Manila.
00:45 At present, we have 150 fire stations. Though in some areas, we are able to meet the set response, we still need to consider the traffic, the narrow roads that are here in Metro Manila.
01:02 At present, the BFP-NCR is working on ways to achieve this seven-minute response time that is required by NFPA 1710.
01:17 Okay, Ma'am Jill, this is a bit difficult with the heavy traffic in Metro Manila and the narrow roads.
01:27 But if this is achieved by the BFP, can this be implemented by the whole country?
01:35 Basically yes sir. Time is of the essence and it is only proper for the whole country.
01:42 Not only the NCR, but even in remote areas, our ideal is to achieve the five-minute response because it is not possible to achieve it by the whole country.
01:55 Yes, Inspector Jill, go ahead.
02:02 Are you still there, Ma'am?
02:04 Okay, we will try to get back to Inspector Jill later to discuss the improvement of response of the firefighters whenever there is an emergency, especially when there is a fire.
02:21 We will get back to Fire Inspector Jill Elotricimo, the chief of the Public Information Office of the BFP-NCR.
02:29 Ma'am Jill, are you still there?
02:31 Hello sir. Yes, we lost connection.
02:35 All right, Ma'am.
02:37 Is there a possibility that if we achieve the five-minute response in the NCR, can this be implemented by the whole country?
02:48 Yes sir. Basically yes. Time is of the essence and it is only proper for the whole country.
02:55 Not only in remote areas, not only for the NCR, but also in other areas of the Philippines.
03:02 Strategically wise, not all fire stations can achieve it. For now, other fire stations, though they don't have traffic, but they are in remote areas, we will try to achieve the five-minute response, not only here in the NCR.
03:23 Okay. Inspector Jill, what is the current lack of resources of the Bureau of Fire to improve the service whenever there is a fire?
03:32 As to our lack of resources, from firemen to population to Metro Manila here in the NCR,
03:43 we have 150 fire stations and 178 fire stations.
03:54 It seems like we're having a technical problem in the communication line.
04:07 We will return to Inspector Jill of the Bureau of Fire Protection.
04:10 Inspector, are you there? Can you hear us?
04:13 Yes sir. Is my connection clear?
04:17 Yes, we can hear you.
04:19 Okay. Inspector, if this target can be supported by LGUs, are there places that we can look at here in the NCR that can be used as fire substations?
04:32 Recently, we have LGUs that coordinated and helped us to achieve the five-minute response that we need here in Metro Manila.
04:50 We have 14 LGUs, but our regional director, Chief Superintendent Nahong V. Caroza is still trying to add fire substations here in Metro Manila to achieve the five-minute response.
05:15 Okay. Is it enough for the people and volunteers of BFP and NCR to support any fire? How many personnel of BFP are there?
05:26 Currently, we have 3,500 personnel of BFP and NCR that accommodate 14 million population of Metro Manila.
05:40 If we will add, Metro Manila still needs 322 fire trucks and 500 personnel currently.
05:52 Okay. Inspector Jill, how about the skills and training? Is the bureau providing enough for the fire personnel?
06:02 Yes sir. We are still providing skills and training to our firefighters.
06:15 We are not only resorting to local teams, we are also going to other countries like Japan.
06:22 Recently, we have trainings in partnership with Japan. We are going there to adapt how they respond to their country and our response to the Philippines.
06:40 Let's go back to Fire Inspector Jill Elotrisimo.
06:46 Inspector, aside from the substations, what are the things that you are still lacking when it comes to equipment?
06:54 What should be prioritized by the government?
06:58 Yes, Inspector Jill?
07:08 Hello ma'am. Good day to you.
07:14 Hello sir.
07:16 Yes, can you hear me ma'am?
07:18 Yes, I can hear you.
07:20 Okay. I will just ask again. What are the things that you need to prioritize?
07:26 Especially when it comes to equipment or the use of BFP. What should be prioritized by the government?
07:32 Aside from our substations, sir, fire trucks, we need more firemen with strong personal protective equipment, fire boats, and most probably,
07:50 because we are here in Metro Manila, because of the number of our buildings, we need to use more area ladders, fire trucks, and especially,
08:02 if it's part of our modernization, choppers, helicopters.
08:10 Okay, Inspector, I just noticed something. When I was young, in the 80s and 90s, I saw a lot of fire hydrants that were still used by firemen.
08:22 But now, I don't see any of those anymore. Isn't it advisable to use these anymore?
08:28 Now, we still have fire hydrants that are installed in Metro Manila, sir. But now, we are asking for more, especially the head of our regional director,
08:42 Chief Superintendent, Humilda Rodriguez, our fire hose cabinets, sir. We have places in Metro Manila where our fire trucks cannot reach because of the narrow streets.
08:56 That's why we are asking for more fire hose cabinets in our narrow streets in Metro Manila, sir.
09:04 Okay. Ma'am, what should be the priority measures on the roads, especially when the traffic is heavy and fire trucks need to pass through when there's a fire?
09:15 So now, close coordination with MMDA and local traffic enforcers. Local government units are still the ones who can help and we are right when it comes to our responders on the roads.
09:33 Whenever there's a fire, traffic management is the team we need for an efficient response.
09:42 And especially, we need to educate our motorists that if there's an emergency, vehicles or fire trucks, they should give way.
09:54 Okay. Yes, ma'am. A question from Claire Hesita of DCAR-Sanxian Radio. Is there a new way for the BFP to respond to the fire in places that are not yet...
10:08 Hello, sir. I'm a bit choppy.
10:12 Okay. I'll just repeat the question from the reporter of Sanxian Radio, Ms. Claire Hesita.
10:18 Is there a new way for the BFP to respond to the fire in places that are not yet...
10:28 ...in large fire trucks? For example, the small streets that are often the reason why the fire does not spread quickly.
10:36 Yes sir. Aside from our fire hydrants, because the entrance of our fire trucks is limited due to the narrow streets, we have motorcycle ambulance or first responders using our motorcycles.
10:55 Now we have a shortage of 30 motorcycle ambulance and aside from that, we have our fire hose cabinet. We will use that even before the firemen arrive.
11:14 We have a solution for those incidents in narrow streets and narrow streets here in Metro Manila.
11:23 Ma'am, a question from TV5 to Ms. Maricel Halili. What are the possible violations in the building code of the burnt T-shirt printing in Quezon City where 15 people were injured?
11:39 Sir, what happened in Tandang Sora, Quezon City is still under investigation. We cannot disclose the full report and final report because our Quezon City Fire District is still investigating the incident in Tandang Sora, Quezon City where 15 people were injured.
12:07 Okay. Next question from Claire Hesita. How many fires are there in the first half of the year compared to the last year? Is this the highest or lowest?
12:19 Sir, if we compare the number of fires in the last year to this year, our data is increasing this year. If you notice, during the pandemic, all people are in their homes.
12:38 They are being protected by their household items and their homes are inside their homes. Now, all people are fully operational and working. Sometimes, our items are exposed to our neighbors.
12:55 Okay ma'am. What is the timetable for the implementation of this adhikain for BFP-NCR?
13:03 Our timetable is already included in the 10-year modernization plan for the adhikain of BFP-NCR.
13:15 Okay. Next question from Vic De Leon Lima of DCME. Is it prohibited for factories in subdivisions like what happened in Tandang Sora?
13:26 Hello sir.
13:33 Next question from Vic De Leon Lima. Is it prohibited for factories in subdivisions like what happened in Tandang Sora?
13:45 Hello sir.
13:56 Inspector, your reception is a bit choppy. Can you please answer again because this is what other stations are asking. I will just repeat. Is it prohibited for factories in subdivisions like what happened in Tandang Sora?
14:12 It depends on the zoning of the LGU. They have certain restrictions if they can still install factories in subdivisions.
14:25 Okay. So it depends. Last question ma'am. Your message to our fellow countrymen.
14:31 Hello. Sir, your line is choppy.
14:36 Again ma'am. Your final message to our fellow countrymen.
14:40 Okay. It seems like we are having technical problems in our communication line. Thank you very much ma'am.
14:49 Inspector Jill Elotrissimo, the chief of the Public Information Office of BFP-NCR.
Comments