TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said at least 25 towns in the Eastern Visayas region do not have a fire station or firetrucks, thus weakening their ability to respond to fire-related emergencies.

Some towns, although with existing fire stations, do have firetrucks but most of these could not be used due to old age or are in need of repair or replacement.

Senior Supt. Renato Marcial, BFP 8 Regional Director, alluded to procurement concerns in the past as being the main reason why the national headquarters has not been able to buy new trucks.

“Since 2014, the agency could not buy new firetrucks because it is swamped with legal cases filed by losing bidders,” he said.

Marcial said that in order to address this shortage, the BFP has resorted to clustering of towns so that fire emergencies are immediately addressed.

The BFP also strengthened its fire prevention drive, including the conduct of training in firefighting at the community level, so that locals will be able to respond to any fire incident in their respective barangays.

Marcial stressed that the provision of fire stations and firetrucks in each town in the country remains a top priority of the BFP. “We are mandated by law to have a fire station, firetrucks and fire personnel in every municipality in the country,” he said.

But to establish one fire station and acquire a new fire truck, the BFP needs at least P22 million. Some local government units were able to build a fire station and buy new firetrucks out of their own budget.

Marcial encouraged congressmen representing LGU without fire station to allot funds to address this need.