An Assessment of the Problems

Encountered by the Bureau of Fire

Protection in relation to the Suppression of

Fire in Pasig City

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

The Bureau of Fire Protection is an agency of the Department of the

Interior and Local Government (DILG) responsible for implementing national

policies related to Firefighting and fire prevention as well as implementation of

the Philippine Fire Code (PD 1185), which has been repealed and replaced by

the New Fire Code of the Philippines (RA 9514). Formerly known as

the Integrated National Police Fire Service, the BFP is in charge of the

administration and management of municipal and city fire and emergency

services all over the country. The BFP also conducts programs regarding the

prevention of fire to lessen the rate of fire in our country.

Fire safety and prevention is everyone's responsibility and therefore we all

must know how to go about doing these things. It is important to have a basic

understanding about how a fire occurs and behaves within a building. The

personnel of Bureau of Fire Protection are on duty 24/7. Fire is one of the

calamities that you can’t simply predict, it may happen at any time of the day or

even late at night and that is why we have the BFP. But before they take any

course of action, there are a lot of preparations that must be first addressed and

that is to prepare the equipment needed to fight fire.

Fire equipment like fire trucks, hose, ladders, water and access to fire hydrants

or other necessary resources are vital in suppressing or preventing a fire.

Fire equipment is the main help for firefighters to put out a fire. But a fire

doesn’t occur every day, without anyone knowing it may happen unexpectedly.

With this, we can ask, is the BFP prepared in case of emergency? There are a lot

of fire incident wherein the BFP did not have enough water to put out a fire. This

is one of the events that bring into question the level of preparedness of the BFP,

their personnel and equipment or other resources in case of emergency. Being

prepared is one thing but there are also other problems to be addressed.

Ideally, BFP should commendably respond to fire emergencies in the span

of five (5) minutes which would lead to faster suppression of fire. But, in reality,

BFP is far from being able to respond to fire, because of lack of preparation on

their equipment and because of being too relaxed. In actuality, because of these

circumstances, BFP is responding to fire, averaging to ten (10) to fifteen (15)

minutes which lead to slower suppression of fire. And to think that the

government has allotted money for BFPs equipment for it to be more useful and

be more reliable. The equipment must be always ready and checked to ensure

the effectiveness and preparedness of it in case of emergency. In this case, lack

of fund is not a reason to just leave the equipment in not a good condition. As we

assumed, fire comes in a much unpredicted time, how can a fire be easily

suppressed if in the first place if the BFP is not taking care of it. In this way, we
can measure the level of effectiveness of personnel to overcome the problems

they may encounter.

This is the reason why we chose to study about this topic, to assess the

problems that the BFP may encounter in times of emergency. This will also show

the effectiveness of BFP’s response methods, and try to come up with proposals

to improve the BFP’s system.

Background of the Study

Disaster as defined by IFRC(International Federation of Red Cross) is a

sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community

or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses

that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources.

Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins. A disaster in

their natural forms includes typhoons, earthquake, tsunami and volcanic

eruptions whereas there is one destructive man-made disaster which is war. Fire

is an example of a disaster that can be caused by both factors stated above.

Fire are the most costly preventable emergency in the Philippines

but are relatively unstudied. Through the centuries there has been such an

intimate connection of fire with the cultural growth. Fire, provided a source of

warmth, protection and a method for cooking food. Creating fire allowed the

expansion of human activity to proceed into the dark and colder hours of the

night.

While, fire has helped much in shaping and developing the country’s

industries, it has also caused destruction in decreasing the economy by levelling

business centers, establishments, residences and has claimed numerous lives

and properties.
 Fire is combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically

with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke

(Oxford Dictionary). A fire disaster can be providential (natural) such as wildfires,

accidental (human error or negligence) or intentional such as the crime of arson.

An intentional cause of fire, legally termed as arson, is the wilful malicious

burning of property (as building) especially with criminal or fraudulent intent

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary) is a crime stated in criminal laws of most countries

one of which is the Philippines. However, fires, even in accidental causes,

displaces hundreds to thousands of families from their homes, costs hundreds of

thousands to millions worth of damage to property and may even be a cause of

several deaths.

In connection to the disastrous effects of fire, the Bureau of Fire

Protection(BFP) under the DILG and by virtue of Republic Act 6975, otherwise

known as DILG Act of 1990, is primarily to perform and be responsible for the

prevention and suppression of destructive fires on buildings, houses or other

structures, forest lands, land transportation vehicles and equipment, ships and

vessels docked at piers or wharves anchored in major seaports, petroleum

industry installations, plane crashes and other similar activities. The recent

statistics available at the National Statistical Coordination Board(NSCB) shows

that there are 12,301 total fire incidents occurred in the year 2013 nationwide

which is 39.8% higher than 8,798 fire reported in 2012 and 39.4% higher than the

fires recorded in 2011and 14.2% higher than the 10,773 fires posted in 2010.
 The BFP cited power overloading and electrical glitches as the main

causes of fire incidents in the country. The BFP is strengthening its anti-fire

campaign and is informing the public that they can provide free services of fire

inspections to have wiring and outlets checked in the households. The BFP also

lacks 17,000 firemen in the country due to budget constraints. According to BFP

Chief, a fire truck should have at least 7 firemen but only average about 4

firemen per firetruck in the Philippines. Problems can be categorized into three

namely: Human/Personnel, Material/Facilities and Economic/Financial. In the

Personnel side, according to the Philippine Figures of the National Statistics

Office(NSO), the ratio of fireman to population as of 2012 is 1:589 from the

16,252 total firemen nationwide. In the material side, the common problems

encountered are lack of fire trucks, fire hydrants available, and more will be

included in this research as the study progresses. Financial problems originate

from the Department of Budget Management appropriation towards the Bureau

of Fire Protection. Lack of financial support is a prime cause that allows the two

other problems (Human and Material) to manifest.

Fire-fighters, before being inducted into the Bureau of Fire Protection,

undergo a series of training in which concerns of not only extinguishing fire, but

also the prevention or suppression of the same. The number of the firemen as

well as their ratio to the population, as stated above, is not suffice to actually

prevent fire especially in the city of Pasig in which there are 12 fire stations and

11 of those are considered to be sub-stations serving the whole City and the

barangays within.
Statement of the Problem

Fires and fire-related casualties are relatively unstudied in the Philippines

but are perceived to be a continual problem.

This research project was conducted with the intention of determining if

there were any issue or problems to be addressed by our fire personnel

regarding the course of action that they may take when responding to a certain

emergency.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1) What are the problems encountered by the Bureau of Fire Protection in Pasig City

in suppressing a fire?

2) How does a certain environment affect the suppression of fire?

3) Is there a significant difference between the performance of each station

when suppressing fire?

4) Is there a significant relationship between suppression of fire and the

health of the personnel suppressing it?

Hypotheses

In this study, the researchers have advanced their null hypothesis:

1. Yes, there is a significant difference in the performance of each station in

suppressing fire encountered in Pasig City

2. Yes, there is a significant relationship between the suppression of fire with

the personnel suppressing it.

Theoretical Framework

Organizations need highly performing individuals in order to meet their

goals, to deliver the products and services they specialized in, and finally to

achieve competitive advantage. Performance is also important for the individual/

Accomplishing tasks and performing at a high level can be a source of

satisfaction, with feelings of mastery and price. Low performance and not

achieving the goals might be experienced as dissatisfying or even as personal

failure. Moreover, performance if it is recognized by other within the organization

is often awarded by financial and other benefits. Performance is a major although

not the only prerequisite for future career development and success in the labor

market. Although there might be exceptions, high performers get promoted more

easily within an organization and generally have better career opportunities than

low performers. (VanScotter, Motowidlo, & Cross, 2000)

The effectiveness of an organization lies solely to the performance of each

individual as it was stated in the preceding paragraph. It is also stated that each

individual will produce different kinds of result depending on their performance

and we connect this theory to our topic because there is bound to be a different

result of each station in the suppression of fire

Significance of the Study

This study would be of importance to the following:

Bureau of Fire Protection. As the target of this research, the study aims to

identify, analyze and give out recommendation to the involved to address the

problems encountered by the Bureau of Fire Protection firefighters in the

province to improve prevention and suppression of destructive fires.

Department of Interior and Local Government. The findings of the

study will give the DILG a valid and reliable information to help the BFP improve

the facilities and equipment for an efficient and effective service of fire prevention

and suppression.
 Local Government Unit. This study will be a good reference to allocate

funds to improve the existing firefighting facilities of the BFP Pasig.

Community. The result of this study will create awareness on the part of

the people in relation to fire prevention and suppression.

Future Researchers. This study would benefit the future researchers by using it

as a reference for their study of related field.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This research is limited to findings of problems encountered by the

personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Pasig City.

This study will only include the areas within Pasig.

The descriptive research design will be utilize in this study.

The demographic profile of the respondents will be limited to age, sex, civil

status, length of service.

Definition of Terms

For the better understanding of the readers/researchers the following

definitions are defined conceptually and operationally.

Bureau of Fire Protection. Created by virtue of RA 6975 under

Department of Interior Local Government. Primarily to perform and be

responsible for the prevention and suppression of destructive fires on buildings,

houses or other structures, forest lands, land transportation vehicles and

equipment, ships and vessels docked at piers or wharves anchored in major

seaports, petroleum industry installations, plane crashes and other similar

activities.
 It is the research target in which the study aims to identify the problems

and give out recommendations to the concerning agency to aid in providing

solution to the problem.

Encountered. To come upon a person or a difficulty such as a problem.

In this study, it is the identification of the problems being experienced of

the Bureau of Fire Protection fire fighters.

Fire-fighters. A person whose job is to extinguish fires.

In this study, they are the targeted respondents on what are the

problems encountered.

Problems. A question raised for inquiry, consideration, or solution.

It is the focus of the study to identify the problems and give out recommendation

to solve these specific problems.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents a review of literature relevant to the present study.

It consists of related literatures and studies in the Philippines and abroad and

likewise studies whose implications are to some extent related to the

investigation at hand.

Foreign Studies

According to Kirtley et. al, (2007), on a study titled: Mitigation of the

Rural Fire Problem: Strategies Based on Original Research and Adaptation of

Existing Best Practices. The following are recommendations for further research

and for implementation of

programs for USFA, NFPA, and other national and local organizations interested

in mitigating the rural fire problem .

(1) We recommend the development and implementation of a model multihazard

survey for homes that could be incorporated as a voluntary outreach program

and used to identify homes that need changes in their equipment. Equipment

checked could include both portable and stationary space heaters, electrical

wiring and related parts of the electrical distribution system, and smoke alarms

.The survey also could check related conditions, such as locked, blocked, or

inoperable doors and windows that are part of primary or alternate escape

routes. For greatest effectiveness and least burden on the households, the

survey would be conducted by trained professionals, though not necessarily

certified fire inspectors or electricians, with the consent of the households

.Despite the term “survey,” this is not envisioned as a hand-off instrument for

households to use to review their own equipment. After the survey the residents

of the household would be given a list of prioritized safety hazards that should be

corrected .In an ideal program there would be community block grants or other

funding that would help the property owner to follow through on some of the

improvements suggested by the survey; (2) We recommend partnering with

national and regional organizations and agencies such as the U .S .Environment

Protection Agency (EPA), the Southwest Indian Foundation; the U .S

.Department of Agriculture (DOA); the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association;

and the HEARTH Education Foundation to develop programs that would replace

problem space heaters; (3) We recommend the development of a program for

improvement of rural electrical system safety that will set priorities in terms of the

range of hazards and conditions that may be identified in a survey and will

identify affordable modifications suitable for use in existing homes; (4) We

recommend the development of a national strategy to install working smoke

alarms in every rural home; (5) We recommend the development of a DVD/video

that would communicate the importance of reaching rural communities and would

portray the variety of rural communities in the United States by region and group

type; and (6) We recommend increased research on effective ways to meet the

needs of the rural fire service.

Local Studies

According to Bacareza, (2012), on a study titled: Capability of The Bureau

of Fire Protectionnational Capital Region in Responding to Chemical Biological

Radiological Nuclear Explosives and Hazardous Materials in Metro Manila: an

Assessment. The findings of the study are as follows: The study arrived at the

following findings: On the status of the BFP with regard to its expanded role,

the BFP was created by virtue of RA 6975 primarily to perform following

functions: Responsible for the prevention and suppression of destructive fires;

Enforcement of the Fire Code of the Phil. (PD 1185); Investigate its
causes and if necessary file case in court; and In times of emergency,

upon the direction of the President assist the AFP in meeting national

emergency. With the passage of RA 9514 or the Fire Code of the Philippines

of 2008, the BFP’s role was extended to include: enforcement of the Fire

Code, Inspection and Ensuring Safety Measures for Manufacture, Storage,

Handling& Use of Hazardous Materials. On the level of its capability in handling

HAZMATs and CBRNE incidents in terms of its mandate, policies, and

identified implementing unit (personnel, policies and systems, human

resource capabilities, logistics, funding, coordinative mechanism, public

information management, and drills/exercises), it can be concluded that the

respondents’ highest assessment with 90% approval score was in terms of

awareness to RA 9514 or the New Fire Code of the Philippines in

application to responding HAZMATs and CBRNE. On the other hand, the

highest assessment with regard measuring the capability of the BFP-NCR

in responding to CBRNE and hazardous materials is on policy on response

specifically at Office/Fire Station level with a total approval rating of 89% while

the lowest assessment provided by the respondents is in terms of improving

human resource capabilities relative to the personnel’s participation in Operation

Level CBRNE training. Hence, it can be construed that the BFP-NCR should

enhance its human resource capabilities taking into consideration the expanded

role of the BFP in responding to HAZMATs and CBRNE incidents. This was

further supported by the fact that the respondents were one in saying that the

conduct of regular drills and exercises as part of CBRNE Station

Preparedness Plan should be the key priority for the BFPNCR. While their

lowest assessment in terms of the BFP-NCR’s capability in responding to

CBRNE with regard to the BFP Operational Manual on CBRNE means that there

is no Operational Manual in place.