March is here and fire incidents grabbing the headlines are nothing new. In fact, the most recent fire incidents as of this writing involved February 20, 2022, residential fire in Sta. Cruz, Manila which killed four and another on February 17, 2022, which destroyed 100 houses in Zamboanga City. The Bureau of Fire Department (BFD) expects more such incidents as the temperature heats up and has issued reminders from time to time.
Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1557357/4-dead-in-manila-residential-area-fire / https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1556240/fire-razes-100-houses-in-zamboanga-city
In a March 2021 interview, BFP spokesperson Annalee Carvajal-Atienza said that they had noted the following as the most common sources of fire in the country--- open flame due to torch; unattended cooking and lighted candles; electrical connections; and lighted cigarette butts. She recommended that we regularly check electrical wirings at home and cooking gas for leaks; lighted candles should be put in a container with water and away from combustible materials; appliances like electric fans should be given time to cool down; and if leaving the house, that all appliances should be unplugged, but better is shut down the fuse.
Source: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/3/bfp-fire-preventing-month-2021-reminders.html
And during the holidays, the BFP highly discourages the use of firecrackers.
Source: https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/12/10/2146871/bfp-urges-public-shun-firecrackers
And in the workplace, Ms. Atienza recommended that fire exits should not be blocked.
Aside from the advice from the BFP, here are other recommendations:
- Do not overload electrical outlets with too many extensions or octopus wiring
- All electrical wiring should be well insulated and maintained.
- Use household electrical, electronics, and gas appliances that bear the safety seal approval.
- Do not dispose of flammable objects such as embers, cigarette butts, or lighted items into garbage cans without extinguishing them completely.
- Do not leave cooking stoves and heated appliances unattended.
- Make sure that food placed in the toaster and microwave is not overcooked to the stage where it burns and starts a fire.
- Do not keep flammable materials like clothes and curtains too close to an open flame.
- Switch/Turn off all electricity supply when an appliance is not in use.
- Store the LPG gas cylinder properly and check the pipe supplying the gas from time to time to ensure that it is properly fitted. Replace it when worn out.
- Do not keep more than one LPG space cylinder at any time.
- Never leave ironing or heated appliances unattended since overheated fabric burns and can cause a fire.
- Never allow children to play with matches. Keep matches away from children.
- Seek professional help when repairing worn-out wires since wrongly or poorly repaired wires can start a fire.
AT THE OFFICE
- Keep computers, monitors, copiers, fax machines, projectors, and paper in good working condition, and replace old or damaged wiring immediately.
- Be conservative with your use of power cords and be careful not to overload them.
- Have an adequate number of smoke alarms present throughout the workplace and make sure they have a power supply and battery backup.
- Test all smoke alarms monthly.
- Test all sprinklers and other suppression systems regularly as well.
- Pair your inspection, testing, and maintenance program with proper documentation, so you always know what’s been tested, and what may still need maintenance
Keeping these reminders can definitely save our homes and offices from serious fires. Remember and most definitely, practice them.
Image Source: home fire safety. (n.d.). [Photograph]. Https://Www.Ssvfd.Org. https://www.ssvfd.org/safety/
