WATER CANNON. Firefighters put down the fire that razed the 96-year old Davao Mental Hospital building on Wednesday morning, May 22, 2013 along the city’s C. M. Recto Street.(davaotoday.com photo by Ace R. Morandante)
DAVAO CITY — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Davao Region will inspect establishments here to know whether they comply with the country’s fire safety law.
First Senior Inspector Nestor Jimenez, BFP Davao spokesperson, said their agency will check establishments’ fire hydrants, fire decisive controls, and evacuation plans as the country braces for the fire-prone month of March.
“We will start our program proper with regards to the fire prevention month, for this city, campaigns are information and dissemination drive for respective barangays which we called the Barangay Ugnayan Program and we also have fliers, materials and lecturers for fire prevention,” said Jimenez.
On Tuesday noon, March 1, government-owned fire trucks around the country blew their sirens, signalling the start of the nation-wide fire prevention program.
This year, BFP has reported at least 85 fire incidents in the region since January. Most of the fire cases here were related to the dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon.
Under the Fire Code of the Philippines, establishments are required to have the following:
- Fire protection features such as sprinkler systems, hose boxes, hose reels or standpipe systems and other fire fighting equipment
- Fire alarm systems
- Fire walls to separate adjoining buildings, or warehouses and storage areas from other occupancies in the same building
- Provisions from confining the fire at its source such as fire resistive floors and walls extending up to the next floor stab or roof, curtain boards and other fire containing or stopping components
- Termination of all exits in an area affording safe passage to a public way or safe dispersal area
- Stairway, vertical shafts, horizontal exits and other means of egress sealed from smoke and heat
- A fire exit plan for each floor of the building showing the routes from each other room to appropriate exits, displayed prominently on the door of such room
- Self-closing fire resistive doors leading to corridors
- Fire dampers in centralized air conditioning ducts
- Roof vents for use by fire fighters
- Properly marked and lighted exits with provision for emergency lights to adequately illuminate exit ways in case of power failure
Violators of the fire code could face imprisonment of up to six years, or be fined of not more than P100,000. (davaotoday.com)
