A key officer of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Bohol hails the government move to decentralize the agency’s recruitment to afford the sourcing for more personnel who are familiar with their areas of responsibility.

Fire Chief Inspector Antonio Ortiz, Bohol acting provincial fire marshal called the mulled BFP plan to bring recruitment to the towns a positive step which allows towns the right men for the task at hand.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa PIA pressing on Fire Prevention during the Fire Prevention Month, Ortiz hinted that the bureau practice of a centralized hiring of firemen allows displacement of men and separation from their families for periods of time on duty.

Moreover, with firemen’s assignments, the need to familiarize with the territory can bear the difference between a quicker fire response and rescue.

Many believe that a decentralized hiring of firemen can motivate local government units to donate lots as an investment.

Towns without fire stations can have their own fire stations funded by the BFP with a firetruck and manpower complement.

This however runs true if the town positively responds to the necessary land donation for the fire station to sit on, fire fighters said.

The move to decentralize the hiring is an added bet for the towns to respond, considering that the fire bureau puts up a P2.3 million building, another P2 million fire truck and manpower complement, which can be from their town.

For towns without fire stations now, responding to fire alarms can take a considerably longer time as the response would have to come from the neighboring towns where they are clustered.

In fire alarms, after a fire break-out, crucial minutes of response is necessary to put the fire in control, one which can hardly be attained with a fire station many minutes away.

That too is considering that the fire truck on standby alert is already filled with fire suppression and control and its manpower is aboard. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)