Metro Manila cities get new high-quality fire trucks

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has acquired half of the target 76 top-of-the-line fire trucks that will be deployed in major cities for “faster and better fire control action” in time for March, the fire prevention month. Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas II on Wednesday formally turned over to local government units the initial 38 Austrian-made Rosenbauer TLF 4000 fire trucks built especially for responding to fires in highly urbanized areas. Initial recipients of the trucks were Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Las Piñas and Taguig. “Each truck has a powerful water cannon mounted on top plus two quick response hoses and two regular hoses or a total of five firefighting weapons that can be used simultaneously for faster and better fire control action,” the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said in a statement Wednesday. The trucks have the capacity to discharge 2,400 liters of water per minute. Their water cannons estimated to push water to up to 62 meters horizontally and 24 meters vertically, or the equivalent to an eight-storey building. “Napakahalaga nito dahil kulang na kulang nga ng gamit ng ating mga bumbero at ito’y makakadagdag sa kanilang kakayahan, lalong lalo na sa mga matao at progresibong mga siyudad,” Roxas said during turnover ceremonies in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The fire trucks were acquired through a soft loan package, the DILG said. An Official Development Assistance facility in Austria granted a total loan of 20.5 million euros payable in 17.5 years with an interest rate of 1 percent annually. The remaining 38 trucks are expected to be delivered within the year to the following cities in various provinces:

• Luzon: Antipolo, Baguio, Batangas City, Calamba, Angeles, San Jose Del Monte, Tanauan, Meycauayan and Lipa
• Visayas: Mandaue, Bacolod City, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Talisay, Bayawan, Lapu-Lapu, Tanjay and Baybay
• Mindanao: Davao City, Pagadian, Dapitan, Zamboanga City, Cotabato City, Digos, Tagum, Kidapawan, and General Santos City.

The acquisition was started by Roxas’ predecessor, the late Jesse Robredo, who died in a plane crash August last year, the DILG statement said. — Gian C. Geronimo/KBK, GMA News