Lao hits slow response of Lapasan fire substation

By LITO RULONA,
Correspondent

City Councilor Teodulfo Lao, Jr. has asked the City Council’s Committee on Police, Fire and Public Safety to investigate the alleged slow-paced respond of a fire brigade stationed in barangay Lapasan during the fire that occurred last Dec. 13 in Barangay Lapasan.

Lao in his privilege speech referred this issue to the committee level to conduct an immediate investigation after receiving complaints coming from the residents in the area during the fire incident.

“According to the narration of one of the residents in the sitio, there were some neighbors who ran to the Lapasan Fire Sub-station which is approximately 500 meters away from the fire scene and allegedly informed the fire personnel on-duty that a conflagration occurred in their sitio which needed an outright and immediate response,” he said.

He said the fire officer on-duty told the residents that they will be going to the area immediately and so, the residents went back to the area to assist and help their neighbors in recovering personal belongings.

Lao said several minutes had past but there was no fire truck from Lapasan Fire Sub-Station responded to put out the fire. Most of the residents, however, observed that the ambulance from City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) came first.

“After the CDRRMO arrived in the area, it was followed by a fire truck that came from other fire sub-stations. Other fire trucsk from volunteers and private sectors responded one by one and so with the Lapasan Fire Sub-Station fire truck,” he added.

He explained that he made his privilege speech that if the clamor is true it cost the entire village was razed by fire considering the turtle-paced responding system of the Lapasan Fire Sub-Station.

“Imagine, it is just a few meters away to the actual fire scene but they responded more than half an hour wherein other fire trucks of other stations afar from the fire area came ahead of them,” he pointed out.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Central District Office reported that at least 19 homes were reportedly totally damaged in Lapaz 2, Kolambog, Lapasan village, this city The total damage cost was estimated at P1.5 million.

Erlita Mamat of Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (BDRRMC) of Barangay Lapasan said the fire affected 109 individuals, including five bed spacers and 14 boarders.