As the country observes Fire Prevention Month in March, which is also the start of the dry season, let us brush up on the prevention measures and awareness of fire risks, which inevitably rise as the weather turns hotter and drier.
Homes should check electrical connections to ensure there are no dangerous faults and risks of overloading, as well as practice heightened vigilance when it comes to gas stoves, and unattended candles and cigarettes.
Additionally, after seeing the devastation of the forest fires in California earlier this year, the authorities will also need to be more careful where practices like kaingin and using fires for agricultural clearing are concerned. Although they are illegal, they are often tolerated. However, the risk of these intentional fires running out of control and escalating into wildfires is always there.
Preventive measures like smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, and usable fire exits are also due for inspection and review, simply to make sure that they are working and will work whenever they are needed.
Fire Prevention Month is observed in March, with the aim of promoting safety consciousness and educating the public on fire prevention strategies. Let’s take this annual reminder to heart, and find the time and effort to ensure that our homes and places and work are protected and as prepared as can be for the eventuality of fires, which like vaccines, needs the cooperation of the majority as it only takes one unfortunate mistake for a preventable threat to endanger the entire community.
A fire is one of the more devastating catastrophes that can hit a home or business, usually without warning, and often inflicting significant losses to property and even lives. But because it rarely happens, we have a tendency to forget it, and that is why a gentle annual reminder hopefully does us some good.*
