March is Fire Prevention Month by virtue of Proclamation No. 115-A, s. 1966. The Provincial Government of Cavite (PGC) supports the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in this observance, and to strengthen such advocacy, there will be a Basic Firefighting Training for the PGC employees this month of March organized by the Provincial Government – Cavite Office of Public Safety (PG-COPS) in cooperation with the BFP Cavite. The main goal of the said training is to inculcate safety awareness and help intensify the preparedness and response capacity of PGC employees to fire emergencies at home and in the workplace.
According to the BFP National Headquarters, the top 3 causes of fire in the country are faulty electrical connections, lit cigarette butts, and open flames from unattended stoves. In 2017, a total of 14,000 fires happened nationwide killing 304 civilians and destroying P7.8 billion worth of property. And from January 1 to February 28 this year, 1,758 fire incidents nationwide resulting to the deaths of 22 individuals and the loss of over a P1 billion worth of property have been recorded.
For this, the BFP shares the following safety tips on what to do in case of fire:
- ALERT OTHERS and find your way out
- EVACUATE Immediately. Assist those who are in need (pregnant, child, elderly, PWD, mentally ill, individual)
- Stay Low! Crawl through the smoke
- Use the Fire Extinguisher in putting out small fires
- LEAVE! Do not go back. Your life is precious more than anything else.
PGC joins in the conduct of NSED