• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City Fire Station is taking a stance on fire safety for the upcoming MassKara Festival, with a statement that kiosk operations could be canceled if they fail to comply with fire safety protocols.
In a press briefing, Fire Marshal FSupt. Jenny Mae Masip said that they will be conducting a thorough inspection of every kiosk once their setup is complete.
Kiosks with violations will be granted a compliance period, but failure to comply will lead the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – Bacolod recommending their cancellation to the Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc.
“As to inspection of the kiosks, once they were put up in the festival sites in BCGC, Lacson, Plaza, and MegaWorld, that’s the time for us to conduct the inspection as we cannot have a fire safety compliance if there is no structure,” Masip said.
The inspection will focus on several key areas, including proper electrical wiring, the presence of fire extinguishers, and clear access to fire exits.
RED ZONES
In addition, part of the preventive measure of the BFP – Bacolod, to avoid incidents similar to the fire that occurred in Barangay 27, especially during the festival, is the ongoing implementation of the Red Zone Program.
The initiative includes coordinating with various barangays with red zone areas, or those areas with houses which are made of more than 50 percent light materials, with structures that do not have a firewall, and areas with limited road access to firetrucks and other medical emergency vehicles.
“We will be conducting an audit on fire safety interventions that we provided to avoid fire. One of our recommendations is the provision of fire extinguisher, radio, and early warning device, and we will be conducting the audit to barangays who have already complied,” Masip said.
Masip said there are 314 red zone areas in the city and it belongs to 48 out of 61 barangays.*
