33 New Firetrucks Augment BFP Capability in Typhoon Affected Areas

October 16, 2009

In order to keep up with the sudden surge in the need for flushing affected areas in the wake of Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng and providing water to evacuees and stranded families, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) immediately acquired 33 units of firetrucks through emergency purchase and deployed them in the National Capital Region and CALABARZON areas.

Citing a report submitted to Secretary Ronnie V. Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) by the BFP, Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpus said that the arrival of the new firetrucks greatly helped the fire bureau in flushing and supplying water to affected areas, as well as ensured the firefighting readiness and capability of the fire bureau.

“While the BFP catered to the needs of the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng, it had to make sure that it has enough manpower and equipment to respond to fire incidents,” he said.

According to Corpus, during the height of typhoon Ondoy, BFP-NCR and BFP-National Headquarters responded to 10 fire calls, and acted upon requests for rescue services in flooded areas.

BFP records show that the total firetruck requirement for each of the affected region is as follows: BFP Region 1 – 88 firetrucks; BFP Region 3 – 217; BFP Region IVA – 257; and BFP-NCR – 428.

BFP Acting Director F/Chief Supt. Rolando Bandilla said that as of October 11, 2009, the fire bureau has already deployed a total of 596 firetrucks and 6,050 personnel in affected areas to conduct clean-up operations, water rationing services and emergency medical services.

Bandilla also said that it has conducted a total of 4,018 flushing operations covering an area of 330.64 kilometers, rescued 247,227 persons, served 416 evacuation centers, and used 1,639,363 gallons of water during the entire operation.

He also said that the fire bureau was not spared from the wrath of typhoon Ondoy as the entire fleet of firetrucks in Marikina and some in Pasig were submerged in flood water, while several firetrucks in Cainta and in Regions 1 and 3 also suffered the same fate.

Earlier, President Arroyo and Sec. Puno instructed the BFP to be on top of water rationing efforts to evacuation areas, perform flushing and clearing operations of vital facilities and supply water to affected areas where water service has not yet been restored.