Firefighters, volunteers commended by city
miSmatch in equipment noted
THE city council commended the Dagupan Fire Station and various volunteer fire fighting brigades for their timely response to the fire that broke out on the night of April 7 on Rivera Street.
That was the good part. The bad news is that the firefighters found out for themselves too late that the specifications of their acquired hoses do not match those of the installed fire hydrants.
So while the city fire station led by Fire Chief Inspector Romualdo Mina, city fire marshal, and the fire fighting brigades of Panda, USATV and Star Plaza, were quick to respond to the fire, they were not able to refill their tanks from nearby fire hydrants quickly, resulting in the delay in putting out the fire.
The firemen found out too late that the diameter of the nozzles of the fire hydrants did not match those of the hoses of their fire trucks, and therefore had difficulty refilling their tanks.
The problem encountered by the firemen prompted Councilor Alfie Fernandez to subsequently file a resolution asking Mina as well as Dagupan City Water District Manager Ramon Reyna to shed light on the matter so that that corrective measure can be immediately adopted.
Twenty-five houses, most of them made of lightmaterials, went up in smoke in that fire that began at 10:40 p.m. and tapped out at 12:10 midnight.
At least 46 families rendered homeless by the blaze were promptly given relief goods, such as rice, canned goods, noodles and blankets, by the city government when city officials led by Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez visited the site following day.
One person, identified as Dave Anonay, was injured during the fire.
Investigation into the source of the fire point to a fallen lighted candle or kerosene lamp.—LM
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