The month of March is designated as Fire Prevention Month.
This is usually the time when local government units go all-out on an information campaign to educate the public not only on potential fire hazards but also on how to respond properly to fire incidents.
Some people have questioned, Why March?
The rationale is that March is usually the start of the dry season here in the Philippines, when the gradual rise in temperature is linked to an increase in fire incidents during that period.
Statistics show that the months of March and April are when fire incidents shoot up dramatically, partly due to the weather and partly due to the fact that household appliances, particularly air-conditioning and ventilating units, are most often overused during this period.
The uncomfortable truth, however, is that global warming is also increasing the frequency and intensity of fires. Wildfires occur around the world at this time.
And we’re not spared from this. In the current month alone, two incidents of grass fire have already been reported here in Laguna province.
As with other natural calamities, ensuring our safety against fire hazards should be everyone’s responsibility, from the local government units down to the man on the street.
Procuring better equipment to fight fires is a big step forward, yes, but as the old adage once said, prevention is far better than cure.
And when we say prevention, this does not only entail stricter inspection of buildings and residential areas for fire hazards.
Households and businesses should also do their precautionary measures on their own to ensure that houses and establishments are fire safe.
Let’s face it: preparing our homes and businesses against the threat of fire may be expensive, but it’s even cheaper than recouping the losses in fire.