The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Antique provincial office is urging Antiqueños to welcome the New Year safely and free from injuries, especially from firecrackers.
“The public, if ever they really want to light pyrotechnics and firecrackers as part of their tradition in meeting the New Year, are advised to buy from certified sellers,” said BFP Provincial Office Information Officer Fire Officer 2 Vilmarie Pagunsan in an interview Friday.
She said that 36 sellers or distributors of pyrotechnics and firecrackers were issued with fire safety certificates this year composed of 12 sellers in San Jose de Buenavista, seven in Sibalom, five in Hamtic, four in Bugasong, two each in Belison and Pandan, and one each in Tibiao, Valderrama, Patnongon and Libertad.
They are allowed to display their goods at the town’s public markets or in their town’s identified firecracker zones.
“BFP personnel had inspected these sellers of pyrotechnics and firecrackers prior to the issuance of certificates,” she said.
As part of the inspection, the BFP personnel checks if the distributors have a “No Smoking” signage on their stalls, available pail of water, and are set up three meters away from each other.
If they are inside the building, there is a fire exit door for their customers.
“Our BFP personnel who are on 24-hour duty are closely monitoring these sellers to ensure safety,” she said.
On standby are their personnel from their 16 fire stations. They are on red alert since Dec. 1 until the New Year so that they could easily respond to any fire incident that might occur.
To drum up people’s awareness of the safe celebration, they already conducted mobile announcements around the municipalities.
Meanwhile, Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office Information Officer Irene Dulduco said one firecracker-related incident was recorded in the province on Dec. 29.
The victim is a 15-year-old boy from the Municipality of San Remigio who obtained a minor injury on his left eye after he lighted a “boga” or
“PVC cannon”, use of which is banned by the national government.
Source: Philippines News Agency
