FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION CAPABILITY OF MALABON CITY BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION: BASIS FOR ELECTRICAL WIRING SYSTEM INSPECTION PROGRAM

ABSTRACT

Title : FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION CAPABILITY OF MALABON CITY BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION: BASIS FOR ELECTRICAL WIRING SYSTEM INSPECTION PROGRAM

Researcher : Engr. IAN O. MANALO

Degree : Master of Public Administration (MPA)                       

School : University of Caloocan City

Year : March, 2018

Fire incidences have always been among the leading tragedies in the country. In 2017, 2,522 cases have been reported, in which almost half have been traced to electrical causes, such as faulty wiring, illegal connections, and unattended electrical appliances. To prevent these, Republic Act 9514, also known as the Fire Code of the Philippines (2008), mandated the conduct of fire safety inspections prior to granting building permits and other licenses by the local government or other government agencies. Inspection should accordingly be done at least once a year and every time the owner or operator of the establishment renews its business permit. Fire Safety Inspectors (FSI) of the Bureau of Fire Protection should be licensed civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, sanitary, or electronics and communications engineers, or graduates of other baccalaureate courses who have passed certain examinations, undergone specific trainings, and have had significant experience in the agency. But fires remain rampant, and the top reason remains to be electrical causes.

Therefore, this study looked into the possibility that something else is needed to beef up the forces of Fire Safety Inspectors (FSI) of the Bureau of Fire Protection, who are supposed to be the first in line to prevent fires from happening. The researcher focused on Malabon City BFP where he is based and where fires are almost always linked to electrical causes. Using evaluation and descriptive-normative survey methods of research, the researcher studied the feedback of 33 fire safety inspectors from the Malabon City Fire Station, Bayan Fire Substation, Hulong Duhat Fire Substation, and Panghulo Fire Substation. Frequency, percentage, and weighted mean are used as statistical tools and techniques to aid the researcher in analyzing the responses.

From the findings, the researcher found out that most of the fire safety inspectors of Malabon City Bureau of Fire Protection at present are not engineers. Among the 36% who are engineers, less than half are electrical engineers who actually have the knowledge in mitigating hazards that could be caused by electricals. There is also notably one fire safety inspector who has only served in the Bureau for a year, considerably less than the required three (3)- year tenure for FSIs as indicated in the Fire Code. Sans that, it can be observed that most have actually undergone more than the minimum required number or length of trainings for fire safety enforcers. Facilities of the Malabon BFP are satisfactory, but equipment and devices are only average. In terms of accomplishments, all especially seminars and workshops have been accomplished satisfactorily, but safety measures not so satisfactorily. When it comes to performances, with the highest being in recruitment and the least in hazardous operations. In the case of the Malabon BFP, ocular inspections are done usually every week. Documentary evaluations are usually done within one to two days. But it is observed that there are still those who needed a week, even a month or two months to conduct documentary evaluation. The mean scores show that FSIs of Malabon BFP have all been effective in these two aspects. Crowded residential areas are the main problem of fire safety inspectors in Malabon City especially in the implementation of electrical wiring system regulations in Malabon City. The problem is amplified even more if the residential area is an illegal settlement, where illegal connections often lurk. Improperly connected lines are also one of the commonly cited challenges in the implementation of electrical wiring system regulations in Malabon. Therefore, the proposed Electrical Wiring System Inspection Program should include the education of fire officers especially the safety inspectors, because as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It should also include the hiring of more licensed electrical engineers, who will be tasked in all actions of the Bureau with regard to wiring systems. The program should also include a provision for citizen's education regarding fire prevention, causes, and things to do in case fires happen.

The researcher thus recommends that, given the fact that faulty electricals have always been the top cause of fires in the country for over a decade, it is high time that the Bureau of Fire Protection hire more people that really understand electricals, especially in the ranks of Fire Safety Inspectors. The people in these positions should be licensed electrical engineers. Trainings should also be revamped to focus more on electrical knowledge and understanding of what to do when emergencies related to electrical concerns arise. Fire safety inspections in residential areas should also be considered, in which barangays and homeowners associations can be consulted.  Barangays and homeowners associations should also play a more proactive role in preventing electrical fires in their localities, especially for those with crowded spots. It is also  suggested for the Department of Education to further professionalize firefighting and fire safety by coming up with course programs dedicated to it in the country's educational institution. An ideal course program that fits the immediate needs of the country in terms of fire safety is the Electrical Wiring System Inspection Program proposed by the researcher which can be incorporated as a major in electrical engineering courses. The program shall focus more on the intricacies of how fires can arise from electrical wirings and how to abate them, as well as in the development of appropriate wiring systems that does not only ensure efficient flow of electricity in establishments but will also save them from hazards as well.