By Pamela Mariz Geminiano | PNA
BAGUIO CITY — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the Cordillera region is set to train children on emergency preparedness, its chief said on Tuesday.
Fire Senior Supt. Maria Sofia Mendoza, BFP-Cordillera director, said teaching the children proper procedures on evacuating from a building in a real-life fire or emergency situation is one of the ways to educate and instill in them the importance of preparedness and resiliency.
“Emergencies can happen any time and we were taught that everyone should be prepared to handle these safely and effectively, including the children,” Mendoza said.
The fire safety roadshow event will be held at the SM Atrium on April 11.
She said there is a need to equip children with the skills on emergency response, to help themselves or their families during disasters. One of the activities is escaping from a building that is “on fire”.
“The children, aged six to 12 (years), will experience actual hands-on learning opportunity of basic life support, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ropemanship, fire suppression, and rappelling,” she said.
She said that children must also take part in the planning and practice of evacuation drills in their homes.
“Have fire drills at least twice a year so children can practice their primary and secondary escape routes,” Mendoza said.
She also said that children must know what emergency numbers to call to ask for help. “If there is a home fire, children should evacuate before calling,” she said.
“If there’s a fire, get everybody out of the building, stay out, and call for help. Don’t go back into the home to get belongings,” she said.
The roadshow is part of the information education campaign of the department to educate the youth on what to do during a fire emergency.
