Fire bureau to personnel: No drinking, no vacation, no leaving posts

No drinking, no vacation leave, and no leaving of fire station posts during the holidays. These were the three directives of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Metro Manila to its personnel, in anticipation of fires during the Yuletide. "No vacation leave, no drinking, and no leaving the fire station. We must maintain operational readiness," BFP Metro Manila head Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta said in Filipino in an interview aired on dzBB. On the other hand, he said fire stations should at least keep a spare truck and a reserve team to be mobilized in case a second fire breaks out in their area. Cordeta reminded his personnel to act quickly on complaints – no need to verify if an incoming call is a prank or not. He said firefighters must already be on the road heading to the fire scene within 30 seconds after receiving a call, and that they should be in the area within five minutes. "Our policy is to treat all incoming calls as real fire alarms. The maximum response time will be five minutes," he said. Meanwhile, Cordeta said the BFP can still conduct inspections of buildings at risk of catching fire, but only upon request. He said he has suspended routine inspections since Dec. 15, to prevent the possibility of some firefighters mulcting establishment owners during the holidays. "Pagpasok ng January we double our inspection (We will double our inspections once January rolls in)," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV