As the nation observes National Fire Prevention Month, the Bureau of Fire and Protection in the Northern Mindanao Region (BFP-10) seeks to burnish its public image as a modern firefighter with “upgraded capabilities and no longer a mere entity that solely extinguishes fires.”

“We also respond to emergency medical services and calls, conduct rescue operations, investigations, and more, BFP-10 chief information officer Noli Dela Rita said.

On Tuesday, BFP-10 conducted a mall show here to spread awareness on fire prevention, anchored on a message that an individual is not alone in preventing fire incidents.

Various firefighting equipment and devices were showcased, and educational booths were set up to engage the public on proper fire prevention measures and response in addition to its updated mandates.

“This is an open house to everyone in the region. This is to show and inform them that a firefighter does not only cater to firefighting,” Dela Rita said.

The BFP-10 also held art contests on fire prevention for students and Zumba sessions in support of Women’s Month.

The activities come at a time amid the need to bring back the public’s consciousness on fire prevention as everybody’s business.

BFP-10 said it recorded a 12 percent increase in last year’s fire incidents compared to the previous year.

Last year, fire incidents resulted in damages with an estimated worth of PHP303 million, or a 71 percent increase compared to 2021 with most causes of fire emanating from kitchen cooking, electrical overload, and loose electrical connections.

Meanwhile, since January this year, the BFP-10 noted 118 fire incidents in the region.

Chief Supt. Carlos T. Dueñas, BFP-10 director, said fire prevention entails a whole of government organization approach.

“We also need the mass base support, the community, the local government units (LGU),” he said during the launching of the first episode of BFP-TV streamed online.

Dueñas said having community fire volunteers and the LGU significantly helped BFP-10 in responding to fire incidents and other disaster responses.

The BFP-10 is currently working with LGUs on adding more fire stations with the allocation of PHP10 million each.

The LGUs are only required to provide a property of not less than 500 square meters for the establishment of their fire stations. (PNA)