BICOL COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

Cor. J. P. Rizal & R. F. Tabuena St. Sagpon
Daraga, Albay

ASSESSMENT IN THE CAPABILITY OF BUREAU OF FIRE

PROTECTION IN RESPONDING TO FIRE CALLS IN
LEGAZPI CITY

MEMBERS:

BERAME, BLADIMER E.

EDROSO, REGINE B.

MANGAMPO, MARIVIC

REONAL, CLAUDINE D.
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Fire is a chemical reaction that results in the release of heat and light, followed by
flame, and that often entails the blending of carbon compounds with atmospheric
oxygen. When fire was first discovered in prehistoric times, it drastically altered how
people lived. With the advancements made in technology since the discovery of fire,
we can now enjoy the comfort they have brought about. Man can use fire for a
variety of purposes, but if it is not put out, it poses a major risk and can have
disastrous effects. There is always a cause for fire outbreaks; some common causes
include human carelessness, negligence, or even ignorance. Fire accidents don't just
happen; there is always a cause. Fire events are occurring in numerous nations
around the world.

Fire station is a building where fire engines are kept, and where firefighters wait until
they are called to put out a fire. People would be compelled to extinguish flames on
their own, which could result in injuries and fatalities, if there were no firefighters. It
would lead to more property losses. Additionally, people would be forced to rely
solely on EMTs and paramedics in place of firefighters, who are capable of providing
medical care to patients. That is why fire station has been established all around the
world because it supports the needs of the fire department and the community in
which it is located. Extremely various functions, such as accommodation,
amusement, administration, instruction, training, community education, equipment
and vehicle maintenance, and hazardous material storage, must all be
accommodated. Depending on its unique purpose, such as the kinds of emergencies
they will handle or the kinds of fires they will put out, fire stations will have varying
designs. The size of the firefighting equipment and the location of the facility are
often the distinctions across facilities. The requirement to reduce response time
heavily influences where the facility is situated. For instance, on airport land, airplane
rescue firefighting (ARFF) stations are situated close to the runways and protect
flight lines and aircraft from fire. Like this, hazardous waste response team stations
are situated close to potential spill locations.

On August 7, 1901, the United States-Philippine Commission established the Manila

Fire Department as a standalone division of the Department of Streets, Park, Fire
and Sanitation. This was the beginning of MFD's history. The current organization
was created, nonetheless, after it was split off from the previous department. At the
time of Chief Bonner, there were only 80 personnel and four fire stations in the city,
namely Tanduay, Sta. Fire stations in Cruz, Paco, and Intramuros. The Department
has one (1) hook-and-ladder firm and four (4) engine companies. The 80 box
Gamewell Fire Alarm System was constructed in July 1902, replacing the earlier
method of receiving fire alarms over the telephone network. During Bonner’s
administration, the fifth fire station at San Nicolas, Binondo, Manila, was built. Capt.
Lewis Dingman succeeded Chief Bonner after his departure in 1907, and it was
during his leadership that the fire stations at Tondo and San Lazaro were built.
During this time, the Department also saw the introduction of the steam fire engine
and motor fire apparatus.

On October 19, 1935, Deputy Chief Jacinto Lorenzo was named the organization's
first Filipino fire chief. He was in charge of changing the uniformed force division
members' duty schedule from four (4) days of nonstop service with a seven-hour day
off and fifteen-hour night off to 48 hours of duty and 24 hours off. By 1944, Deputy
Chief Cipriano Cruz had succeeded him, and it was under his leadership that the
terrible years of Japanese occupation were most severely felt. The darkest period in
the Manila Fire Department's history occurred during these horrible years of the
Japanese invasion, which is quite noteworthy to remember. The infamous kempetai
staged simultaneous raids one night as the Japanese occupation was about to end.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Act of 1990, also
known as Republic Act (RA) 6975, was eventually passed on December 13, 1990,
creating the current Bureau of Fire Protection and its current structure (DILG). The
local government is directly in charge of the public's safety, understanding of the
circumstances, and closeness to the event and resources, as well as any
concomitant resource needs. It has a department of emergency services that is
equipped to handle crises might happen at any time. They consist of public works,
emergency medical services, and law enforcement. They can also be referred to as
first responders or emergency response people. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)
of the Philippines is a government organization whose duties include enforcing
pertinent laws, providing emergency medical services, and suppressing and
preventing the onset of devastating fires.

One of the warmest months in the Philippines is thought to be March. Temperature

and humidity peak over the archipelago, according to Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). BFP also
recognizes October as Fire Prevention Month for this reason. Due to the fact that it is
also the month with the most fires nationwide, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP),
together with other governmental entities, firefighting organizations, and educational
institutions, have all undertaken various fire prevention programs. the Legazpi fire
station is one of the units of bureau of fire protection located in the municipality of
Legazpi Province of Albay which has existed ever since. People are expecting more
to the BFP of Legazpi fire station of course in fulfilling the people’s expectation with
the support of the Local Government Unit of Legazpi.

The Assessment of the Capability of BFP in Responding to Fire calls in Legazpi City.
Further, improve the upon knowledge to the problems encountered as well as to the
proposed measures in solving as perceived by the personnel of the BFP in Legazpi.
The findings of the study would in some way aid in identifying which aspects of the
operations are successful and which require improvement. Additionally, this would
assist the Province of Albay and the Municipality in developing strategies and
policies that would increase the office's services.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study is to assess the capabilities of BFP in responding fire calls in Legazpi City
to serve as basis for the improvement of the fire station.

Specifically, the study aimed to:

1. Determine the frequent capability of the BFP in responding fire calls in the year
2019-2021.

2. Identify the most frequent problems encountered by BFP in responding to fire

calls.

3.To evaluate the level of resources capabilities of Legazpi City Fire Station as
assessed by the

respondent along:

A. Personnel Resources

B. Operational Resources

C. Financial Resources

4. Measures to be proposed in solving the problems encountered by the respondent.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The study will assess the capabilities of the BFP in Legazpi City and will be focusing
on the

functions and what are the problems encountered and the measures that will be
proposed in

solving the encountered problems.

The research conversed the BFP personnel and selected residents to determine the
capability

of BFP in Legazpi City on the year 2019 to 2021.

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK

Its main goal is to know the ability and skills of the BFP personnel in responding to
the fire disaster in the city of Legazpi Albay where there were specific problems to
determine the ability of the BFP personnel in responding, common problems in the
rules of personnel, stations, and logistics and measures recommended to improve
the ability of BFP personnel to prevent and control the fire disaster. Through this
assessment the occurrence of fire disaster in the city of Legazpi Albay will be

controlled and the trust and confidence of the residents is gained and the increase of
the economic condition of the city because the threat of fire incidents can be
prevented and suppress. As for the implication to the bureau of fire protection for the
development of the investigative capability of the personnel, there must be the
adoption of fire safety measures and strong enforcement of the law R.A 9514 known
as the fire code of the Philippines and the -amending it so, finding a conclusion an
recommendation in this study can help to prevent or reduce the disaster of fire in this
city.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

ASSESSMENT-the process of considering all the information about a situation or a

person and making a judgement.

CAPABILITY - the ability to do something.

BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION- is a government agency whose role is to

suppress and prevent the outbreak of destructive fires, enforce relevant laws, and
provide or help provide emergency medical and rescue services.

Fire call- A call of fire alarm to a fire station.

PERSONNEL-people employed in an organization or engaged in an organized

undertaking such as military service.

RESOURCES- a stock or supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that
can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively.

EQUIPMENT- the necessary items for a particular purpose.

R. A. 9514- known as the Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will benefit the following:

Department of Interior and Local Government

- They will know and understand from this study what the BFP in Legazpi City tends
to require in terms of equipment and resources for effective fire prevention.

BFP- The results of this study will help them in determining how efficient and
effective their service at preventing fires.

Criminology Students- This study will serve as a reference for their future studies
which are related to this topic. It will also help them to become efficient BFP officers
in fire suppression because of the knowledge that they will acquire from this study.

Researchers-This study will serve as a basis or reference for future researchers that
is related to our topic about the capabilities of firefighting in responding to fire calls.

NOTES:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https%3A%2F
%2Flanguages.oup.com%2Fgoogle-dictionary-
en&ved=2ahUKEwj4wYrArOL6AhWT1GEKHQRHBa0QvecEegQIBRAZ&usg=AOvV
aw3kNBXVjbAIAFeyFQVCJmJF&fbclid=IwAR3wdfEIY1WugLZUvEMIlvd3GKKup6T
ZuE44W3nCUd0EQ3i3592KekxuCdc

https://ichoose.ph/blogs/march-always-fire-prevention-month?
fbclid=IwAR0z77Ztj38yba1p7gm7GodGtq9ECdvXUS2wddW0HnfzgBEee5C1RJpZw
bM

https://caraga.bfp.gov.ph/brief-history/?
fbclid=IwAR0zrF8lO6TI2kMy9UaBRDn9gpVBsIc6SsmTkOse552GuAlq29t-_5uM5fA
- :~:text=BRIEF%20HISTORY%20OF%20THE%20FIRE,%2C%20Park%2C%20Fire
%20and%20Sanitation
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

According to Brent Hagel (2006), the goal of his study was to ascertain the effect of a
community-based fire prevention intervention targeted solely at parents on
elementary school students' fire safety knowledge and conduct. In this prospective,
quasi-randomized controlled study, third and fourth graders from two elementary
schools in an urban, underprivileged, minority population filled out
knowledge/behavior questionnaires before the intervention began and again after it
was finished. The intervention group had a fire department representative come to
their homes to install free lithium smoke detectors and provide them a fire escape
plan. This study discovered a modest improvement in fire safety behavior among
kids whose families received a fire prevention intervention, which reflected a change
in household fire safety practices, after adjusting for a small difference in baseline
summary scores of knowledges and behavior between the control and intervention
groups. However, there was no discernible improvement in knowledge on fire safety.
It is crucial to have a suitable level of fire safety in university students' residences. If
the proper fire safety management measures are not put in place, a fire that
originates in a student dormitory could have catastrophic consequences. The
purpose of this study was to evaluate students' perceptions of fire safety knowledge
and management in multi-story dormitories near the Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology (KNUST) campus. The study's findings are based on a
questionnaire survey.
According to the BFP fires manual from 2001, the BFP must train effective and
adaptable firefighters. Without the utmost accountability, competence, loyalty, and
honesty; respect for human rights; and care for the preservation of people's lives,
property, the environment, and cultural heritage.
P.D. Rule 9 states that 1185 lays down general rules for the setup, operation, and
competency testing of businesses and communities.
In most cases, fire happens suddenly. When this occurs, the amount of time
occupants of the building has to either put out the fire or escape is constrained
(Salleh and Ahmad, 2009). When fire is not successfully managed, people may
sustain injuries and occasionally even pass away, according to Spadaccini (1998).
Other things include building closures that are either temporary or permanent and
property destruction. Therefore, it is usually recommended that appropriate fire
safety management measures be implemented to regulate the situation.
There is always a reason why a fire breaks out. The most frequent causes of fire are
carelessness, discarded cigarettes, negligent handling of combustible materials,
improperly maintained or defective heating systems, spontaneous combustion
resulting from the storage of items in unventilated areas, explosion from petroleum
products, focus on glasses that can act as a convex lens and lighting spark,
overheating, and electrical defects. (Fire Technique and Arson Investigation)
According to Miller's study (1973), the success of the actions carried out at a specific
fire depends on four key elements: the tools used, the number of persons used (and
their skill level), the time the activity is started, and the scope of other operations also
being carried out.
Markham (1999) who performed the "Fire Prevention in America at the Dawn of the
New Millennium" study and concluded that "American fire death statistics are among
the highest in the industrial world, and this is unacceptable. The issue is that the fire
service's traditional emphasis on suppression alone has been shown to be
insufficient, and public education and fire prevention initiatives should be given
higher attention.
Armstrong (2004) focuses about leadership development within the fire service in his
thesis, "Leadership Development for the Fire Service." and to pinpoint methods for
better preparing people for their positions as leaders. According to the study's
findings, firemen will use new tactics in order to develop their leadership skills. It also
shows that there is a need for more thorough leadership development and that those
working in the fire are eager to pursue the required education to meet this demand.