To enhance fire protection and safety awareness, the Itogon Fire Station conducted a motorcade and siren-blowing event on March 1st to officially inaugurate Fire Prevention Month for March 2024.
Barangay LGUs, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, and partners from the private sector – Alphaland, SN Aboitiz Benguet, ISRI, Benguet Corporation, along with fire volunteers and other participants, joined in marking the start of Fire Prevention Month with the theme: “Sa Pag-iwas sa Sunog, Hindi ka Nag-iisa.”
“The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) named the month of March [as Fire Prevention Month], considering that March showed the highest record of fire incidents nationwide,” stated Itogon Acting Fire Marshall FINSP EDGARDO R REDUCA. The forest fires this year are due to the dry spell season or ‘el niño’ for we have not experienced rainfall since the start of the year, making our forests susceptible to fire,” explained FINSP REDUCA.
The Itogon Fire Station reiterated its call to the public to refrain from practicing ‘kaingin’, a traditional method involving burning vegetation to clear land for farming. Individuals are urged to act responsibly.
In his address, Mayor Bernard S. Waclin commended the active participation of all attendees. “Disaster preparedness is the responsibility of every citizen,” emphasized the Mayor, stressing the importance of community members practicing fire prevention methods.
Mayor Waclin further urged the BFP to intensify its Information and Education Campaign on fire prevention within the community.
The Itogon Fire Station reported that the Community Fire Auxiliary Group (CFAG) has been established in several barangays within the municipality. CFAG trainings for the remaining barangays are scheduled for this year.
The BFP takes the lead in organizing or establishing CFAGs in barangays, aiming to serve as primary responders during fire incidents, especially in remote areas distant from fire stations.
