17 WV towns still lack fire stations

SEVENTEEN towns in Western Visayas are still without fire stations.

And establishing a fire station in every town and cities in the region is one of the visions that the Bureau of Fire Protection 6 (BFP-6) would want to accomplish soon.

Fire Senior Superintendent Alan Aladano, BFP-6 regional director, said it has been BFP’s goal of becoming a modern and more efficient firefighting agency.

“We want to armor our personnel with necessary equipment, as much as we want to give them a station with modern fire trucks,” he added.

Seven of the 17 fire stations are in Aklan province – Batan, Banga, Lezo, Madalag, Makato, Malinao, and Nabas.

The fire stations in Madalag, Makato, and Malinao are now undergoing construction, BFP reports indicated.

In Antique, the towns without fire stations are in Anini-y, Barbaza, Caluya, Hamtic, and Tibiao, which is currently undergoing construction.

Panay and Sapian in Capiz also need their own stations.

Only the town of San Dionisio in Iloilo lacks a station.

In Negros Occidental, the towns of Isabela and Pulupandan need fire stations.

But Aladano said that plans are underway for the building of a fire station in the two Negros towns. He added that the towns already have fire trucks.

Meanwhile, fire stations in the towns of Don Salvador Benedicto and Valladolid in Negros Occidental and Pilar in Capiz are up for activation.

“Soon, we hope that such concern would be resolved soon,” Aladano said.

He added that he told BFP provincial directors to lobby with their respective Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Sangguniang Bayan for lot donations.

Aladano explained that before the national government allocates funds for the fire stations, the local government unit (LGU) must donate the lot as its counterpart.

A municipal fire station will received a P7.4-million budget while a city fire station will get P19.5 million.

The station will also be equipped with air condition system, computers, televisions, and even refrigerators

“We want to build a station that would promote a conducive working condition for our personnel,” he added.

Under the law, there must be at least one fire station with adequate personnel, firefighting facilities and equipment in every provincial capital, city and municipality.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

Special thanks to: