The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), after signing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Loboc local government unit, officially activated the Loboc Fire Station on Tuesday, lowering the number of Bohol towns without fire stations to six.
The ceremony which was led by outgoing Mayor Helen Alaba and provincial fire marshal Chief Inspector Randy Mendaros was highlighted by the turnover of a P-1.2 million fire truck at the Loboc Tourism Complex in Barangay Villaflor.
“Dako nato ng kalipay sa Bureau of Fire Protection kay ang ato g’yung mission diha is to establish at least one fire station in every municipality. Gikan sa pito ang wala pa, nahimo ng unom,” said Mendaros.
The development is expected to improve the firefighting capabilities in the town by lessening response time to fire emergencies.
“A very momentous event happened here in Loboc in the relationship between the Fire Department and LGU Loboc. Dako kaayo ni og tabang kay ma lessen na ang atong response time kung dunay alarma,” he added.
Through the MOA, the BFP occupied the former Rural Health Unit office of Loboc in Barangay Poblacion Sawang where fire officials will base their operations.
The fire station will be manned by a six-man team led by Senior Fire Officer 2 Manuel Babera.
They have two fire trucks at their disposal, a Foton firetruck with a 5000-liter water capacity and the new but smaller Mitsubishi Canter firetruck.
The Loboc LGU has already allocated a land as site for the town’s standard fire facility but the budget for construction has yet to be earmarked.
Meanwhile, there are still six towns in the province which do not have activated fire stations—Duero, Lila, San Miguel, Getafe, Danao and Corella.
According to Mendaros, the LGU and the national government through the BFP need to constantly coordinate as part of efforts to activate fire stations.
“Mandate man g’yud na sa Republic Act 6975 na magtinabangay ang national government, Bureau of Fire Protection ug ang LGU na concern kung unsy nahimo na pagtabang,” he added. (RT)