Last week, Lagunenses woke up to an unusual din of sirens and fire engines racing along the province’s main roads. But there was no emergency at all – local government units were simply spearheading the celebration of Fire Prevention Month.
March, according to authorities, is usually the period when fire incidents are reported to be at their peak.
Since March usually marks the start of the dry season – and this year, the El Niño phenomenon means we’ll be getting much less rain than usual – authorities are on high alert to ensure that residential, commercial, and industrial complexes are safe from fire.
Here are a few points Lagunenses should consider as we once again celebrate Fire Prevention Month:
Number one: as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
While LGUs in the province have spent millions in public funds to upgrade their firefighting capabilities, it still falls on us ordinary citizens to ensure that fires don’t occur in our houses and businesses in the first place.
And of course, it also falls on LGUs to ensure that local regulations to safeguard establishments against fire hazards are strictly implemented with.
Number two: the El Niño phenomenon has exposed a potential hazard that Lagunenses haven’t seriously considered yet: spontaneous “brush fires” occurring at vacant lots and dump sites.
In Biñan City, for instance, at least two incidents of brush fires were reported at a large vacant spot near the South Luzon Expressway last month alone.
It also goes without saying that disasters like fires can happen any time of the year, at any time of the day.
This means ensuring that our province is safe from the threat of fires shouldn’t be confined to Fire Prevention Month alone, but should be one of our everyday goals.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #FirePreventionMonth #OpinYonEditorial