May 31, 1999

Firemen seek better firetrucks

The procurement by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) last year of 10 units of alleged brandnew firetrucks is now the center of controversy in the agency.

A group of firefighters assigned in Metro Manila said that based on the specifications, the water tanks of the newly-acquired firetrucks should be made of stainless steel sheets. It turned out, however, that what were delivered were made of galvanized iron sheets.

The stainless tanks were specified because they will be loaded with chemical substances that will be used in extinguishing chemical, electrical and gaseous fires, they said.

The firemen made the disclosure as they called for better firetrucks for use by local firemen to be able to do their work better and to protect them in their life- and property-saving work.

Another defect found by firefighters is that the manufacturer of Nissa-Columbian Motors Corp. firetrucks installed irrigation pumps, instead of fire pumps, in the trucks with a maximum discharge of 250 gallons per minute (gpm) only at 38 pounds per square inch (psi).

Based on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) international standard requirements, maximum discharge should be 750 gpm at 150 psi.

Firefighters from fire stations that recevied units of the alleged inferior quality firetrucks said that the performance of the firetrucks may resemble the performance of local water trucks designed for watering plants.

The manufacturer also installed gauges taken from non-operational FMC firetrucks. The letters or brand name "FMC" can be seen in the gauges.

Most firefighters also complain of the poor performance of the power-take-off device installed by the manufacturer.

The people deserve the best quality of firefighting equipment and service from the government to justify the taxes they pay, the firefigthers said.

Likewise, firefighters deserve superior quality firefighting equipment and apparatus to ensure the effectiveness of their operation during devastating fires, they said. (Chando P. Morallos)