Philippines boosts fire fighting capability of BFP with 266 new fire engines this year

​22 March 2019

Philippines – In line with the observance of the Fire Prevention Month this March, the Philippines’ Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will further boost the fire fighting capabilities of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) with the acquisition of 266 new fire engines.  DILG Secretary, Eduardo M Año, says the new fire engines, which are set to be distributed to key cities and municipalities this year and next year, will further beef up the fire prevention and suppression efforts of the BFP, especially during March with the onset of the summer season. “Fire incidents usually peak during summer and we want our fire fighters to be ready to be of assistance to the public during conflagrations and other emergencies,” says Año.

“We are hopeful that with the acquisition of new fire engines, the BFP will be more than equipped to rush to the location of the blaze to put out the fire and rescue possible victims,” he adds.  Of the 266 fire engines, 56 units with 1 000-gallon capacity, which were part of last year’s procurement program, will be delivered any time soon for distribution to fire stations without fire trucks and to re-fleet 20-year-old units.

For this year’s procurement, the DILG Chief says that the acquisition of another 56 units worth around P700-million, 1 260 sets of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and three units of rescue trucks has already passed the early procurement stage and a Notice of Award will soon be issued to the winning bidder.

On the other hand, the procurement of 126 units of 1 000-gallon fire trucks is now in the hands of the Philippine International Trading Corporation which is conducting post-qualification of the lowest calculated bidder. “We expect that the award of this project will be made this year,” says the DILG Secretary.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of 28 other units of fire engines for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which is being handled by the DBM Procurement Service, is still ongoing. “Ensuring public safety is one of the primary tasks of the government. This is why it fully supports the BFP’s modernisation program by setting aside funds for the purchase of new fire trucks and equipment every year,” says Año.  The ideal fire engine to population ratio is 1 for every 28 000 residents.

Also for delivery this year and part of the 2018 procurement are three units of collapsed structure and rescue trucks worth P64,5-million which will be given to BFP National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

Five aerial ladders and 20 units of water tenders (2 500-gallon capacity fire engine) with a combined cost of around P576-million are also up for delivery to be used by highly urbanised cities.  81 BFP district and provincial offices will also receive 81 SCBA refilling system.

Source: Philippines’ Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)