MICHAEL MEDINA
Editor-in-chief
OZAMIZ CITY—The local Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) office greets 2009 with optimism after it scored less fire calls in the previous year, attributed to its aggressive fire prevention awareness campaign.
Senior Inspector Rommel Villafuerte, BFP-Ozamiz’s acting fire marshall, said he construes fewer fire incidences as a sign that people have fully grasp the significance of their fire safety enforcement and education campaign.
Villafuerte likewise said they conduct daily visibility patrols around the city and give fire prevention lectures and drills to volunteers and interested organizations.
FO1 Isagani Olmedo Jr., fire arson investigator, who was interviewed for this report, said there are only four fire incidents tallied last year, a big drop compared to 2006 and 2007 figures.
Based on records and post fire investigation report provided by Villafuerte to this paper in 2007, about 12 fire incidences happened in 2006 while this reduced to almost half the next year.
The PANGUIL BAY MONITOR has reported in its yearender issue the first fire that happened in 2008, which happened at the stockroom of Fuller Life office located along corner Mabini and Valconha streets.
According to BFP’s estimates, damages brought by the fire totaled P14, 804,651. Fuller life sells cosmetics and accessories.
The second fire occurred Jan. 21, in Purok 3 Calabayan with total damages placed at P9500 while the third came noontime of March 15 at the Ozamiz City Central School. The BFP said the fire was arson-related because of traces of forcible entry in one of the rooms of the said school. Damages were estimated at P1000.
The last fire to happen in 2008 was on March 26, in Brgy Lam-an where six houses were razed to the ground while most of the residents were attending a graduation ceremony.
Three local schools simultaneously had their commencement exercises that day when a spark started to set off from a wire inside the house of a certain Elizabeth Agustin located in Purok 1.
Villafuerte said that the owner of the reported to him in a query that Agustin’s house was experiencing electrical sparks a week before the fire incident.
The fire happened as the BFP celebrated “Fire Prevention Month” as Villafuerte placed fire damages at P1.5-million.
The figures in 2008 will not be beaten as three fires were already recorded in January, this year.
January 1, New Year’s Eve, a fire occurred at Andot’s building, which is owned by the Paderanga family. The BFP placed initial damage estimates at P150,000.
January 6, another fire happened in the densely populated Purok Malig-on in Tinago, just a fire meters away from the BFP station. The fire engulfed some P300,000 in properties.
The latest fire was last Jan. 15 along Juan Luna St., at the Happy Church. Initial damages guess was placed at P500,000.
According to the BFP, most of the fires that occurred in January, this year, were either attributed to the so-called “hazardous establishments” or the erratic switching of electricity during the weeklong intermittent brownouts after one of Transco’s towers was undergoing repairs.