ILOILO CITY — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Iloilo received a firetruck that is capable of responding to incidents involving chemicals and flammable liquid.
Chief Inspector Christopher Regencia, Iloilo City Fire Marshall, presented the newly-acquired “capability” that was procured under the modernization program of the BFP to city officials after Monday’s regular flag-raising ceremony here.
Regencia said the firetruck is very vital to Iloilo City because sometimes, the metropolis also experiences fire incidents caused by chemicals and other flammable liquid.
He said that the firetruck has a chemical agent that can be infused with water so it can be more effective.
The brand new firetruck, procured from Austria by the BFP, has a carrying capacity of 4,000 liters. It was designed with an attached super tanker and can also be hooked to a hydrant.
With the latest unit, Iloilo City now has two firetrucks with similar features. The new unit costs between PHP18 million to PHP25 million.
As of date, BFP Iloilo has 16 serviceable firetrucks and another one undergoing repair. In the event of a fire incident, he said that the available units are enough but based on population, there is still a need to procure around 15 to 20 additional units.
Regencia said BFP Iloilo can also rely on fire volunteer groups in the city, noting that the ICAG Fire Volunteer Brigade has more or less 15 firetrucks while the Federation Iloilo Fire Brigade has 20.
He added that the city government, using its disaster funds, will also purchase two smaller firetrucks.
“Iloilo City is not afraid of such incidents because in case of conflagration, we always cooperate,” Regencia said. (Perla Lena/PNA)
