The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) conducted a Fire and Earthquake Lecture and Drill for the NEDA Regional Office (NRO) 8 staff on May 28, 2019.

The activity aimed to educate the staff on fire and earthquake safety procedures to prepare them for emergency situations in the future.

FO2 Jean Christie Dy, FO1 Mark Jon Macasil and FO1 Felazur Oquiño of BFP 8 lectured on the nature and behaviour of fire, basic fire safety, and quick-response firefighting techniques for both home and office scenarios. Meanwhile, Mr. Rayden Cabrigas of OCD 8 discussed earthquake safety and preparedness.

To further ingrain the knowledge learned during the lectures, the team from BFP 8 and OCD 8 led the staff in a joint fire and earthquake drill. The NRO 8 staff were given roles to play during the drill. Some staff members played injured victims, while others acted as rescuers. The simulated exercise aimed to help everybody fully grasp what they should do in the event of fire or earthquake.

The BFP team also prepared a field demonstration of the quick-response firefighting techniques. The NRO 8staff got to experience firsthand on how to use a fire extinguisher and a makeshift fire blanket to immediately stop small fires and prevent them from causing larger damage.

This activity is only the first step in improving the office safety and disaster resiliency skills of NRO 8 staff. With this in mind, further trainings such as basic life support and Incident Command System (ICS) are planned in the future.

Article and Photos by Knulp Aseo, NEDA VIII