MANILA — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is pushing ahead with plans to acquire 1,500 new fire trucks to replace aging equipment and strengthen firefighting capabilities nationwide, even as it defended the use of controversial fire trikes that have drawn public ridicule over their size and limited capacity.
BFP Officer-in-Charge FCSupt. Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu said the massive procurement would be undertaken through a government-to-government arrangement under a multi-year modernization program aimed at addressing equipment shortages, particularly in underserved communities.
The acquisition is intended to make fire stations in areas lacking adequate equipment fully operational, replace deteriorating fire trucks and improve the emergency response capabilities of existing stations.
“This procurement also supports the service upgrading and modernization program, which include the refleeting of our aging fire truck and the enhancement of capabilities of existing fire stations to meet the ideal requirement for effective fire response operation,” Kwan Tiu said.
The announcement comes amid public criticism of small firefighting vehicles known as fire trikes, whose photographs recently circulated on social media, raising questions about their effectiveness in combating major fires.
Kwan Tiu, however, defended the vehicles, stressing that they serve a specific purpose in communities where narrow roads, congested neighborhoods and limited access prevent conventional fire trucks from reaching burning structures quickly.
He explained that fire trikes are generally provided through local government initiatives to augment the resources of fire stations, particularly those struggling with inadequate firefighting equipment.
“Malaking tulong po ito dahil nga madagdagan ang assets ng ating mga local fire stations ng ating mga BDRMO at ng ating mga local disaster risk reduction management office,” he said.
The BFP official emphasized that the effectiveness of firefighting operations should not be measured solely by the size of a vehicle or the amount of water it can carry.
Instead, he said, rapid deployment and the immediate application of water to cool burning structures are crucial in preventing fires from spreading and causing greater destruction.
“Dahil sa isang sunog, hindi lamang laki ng fire truck ang batayan sa pagiging epektibo ng isang fire response. In a fire operation, the most important strategy is on how fast you can introduce a cooling effect in a burning structure,” he said.
“Dito nagiging mahalaga at epektibo ang ating mga fire trike. Kaya sa halip na maliitin o gawing biro ang isang maliit na fire trike, tingnan natin ito bilang isang mahalagang bahagi ng ating fire response capability,” he stressed.
While fire trikes cannot match the water-carrying capacity and firefighting capabilities of conventional fire trucks, the BFP maintains that their mobility makes them useful as supplementary emergency response vehicles, especially in densely populated communities.
Conventional BFP fire trucks currently have water capacities ranging from 500 to 1,000 gallons, depending on the unit.
Meanwhile, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier clarified that the fire trikes featured in viral social media posts were not the vehicles the government intends to purchase for P10 million each.
Remulla said the planned fire trucks would be sourced from South Korea, distancing the government’s major procurement program from the smaller firefighting vehicles that sparked online criticism.
The controversy has brought renewed attention to the country’s firefighting resources, particularly the need to modernize aging equipment and ensure that fire stations have sufficient vehicles to respond effectively to emergencies.
Kwan Tiu assured the public that the BFP would prioritize quality in its planned acquisitions, emphasizing that the modernization program is intended to improve firefighting operations and strengthen public safety.
He also appealed to the public to recognize the value of firefighting equipment, regardless of its size, instead of dismissing smaller vehicles as ineffective.
“Nananawagan din po ako sa ating publiko na huwag natin gawing biro ang mga asset ng fire service dahil isa lang po ang layunin nito: to serve, protect, and save lives,” he said./PN
