By Mary Judaline Partlow
In Dumaguete City, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is requesting more fire hydrants to enhance their response time to fire emergencies. Fire Chief Insp. Marlon Chomling, the city fire marshal, highlighted in a Thursday interview that the current 54 fire hydrants distributed across the city may not adequately address simultaneous fire incidents.
We are requesting the local government unit for four additional fire hydrants to be established in Barangays Looc, Taclobo, Bagacay, and Piapi, which are fire-prone,” Chomling said.
Additional fire hydrants would mean reducing response time and being able to penetrate areas that are difficult to reach or are densely populated, he said.
Allen Cabaron, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), assured they would help source out funds for the additional hydrants.
Cabaron said each hydrant could cost PHP 200,000 or more.
Currently, the CDRRMO budget has already been allocated for other purposes but Cabaron said he would recommend to the Office of the Mayor to source funds through the Local Finance Committee.
Meanwhile, Barangay Looc chairperson Inna Luzada said they would purchase a fire truck from the money they won during a recent cultural festival competition.
Looc is a densely populated area with hundreds of informal settlers occupying the coastal area as their main source of income comes from the nearby city port. (PNA)
