Table 5.30
Distribution of Fire Personnel

This gives a Fireman-population ratio of 1:3,355

Size and area coverage of fire substations are shown in Table 5.31.

There are only three (3) fire trucks available for operation in the city. This is augmented by three (3) more water tankers and another three (3) water pumpers during fire emergencies. Two (2) ambulances for rescue operations are in stand-by. Other fire facilities include mobile radios for communication purposes.

Compared to the previous years, the current quantity of fire trucks has decreased from the recorded four (4) in 2000 to a three (3) this year. This leaves one fire truck for each sub-station. (see Table 5.32)

TABLE 5.32
Inventory of Equipment and Facilities

A total of 78 fire hydrants distributed all over the city supplement the firefighting facilities. Of these, 60 are operational and 16 as non-operational.

With figures of fire incidences for years 2000-2002, fire occurrence averages at 254.33 annually. This seems to be a high frequency considering the size of the city. However, it can be attributed to the proliferation of informal settlements in various barangays.

These fire incidences are mostly rubbish and structural in nature, with origins varying from electrical, cigarette butts, LPG (Tank/Stove) to unknown sources as can be seen in Table 5.33.

Table 5.33
Fire Incidence Report 2000-2003

One measure to prevent fire occurrences is the continuous conduct of fire safety inspections in different establishments in the city. As shown in Table 5.31, inspections conducted in year 2000 increased by 1.78% from 1999 inspections. Fewer establishments in year 2000 were found to have deficiencies in fire safety requirements and subsequently recommended for correction and improvement. Consequently, a total of 301 Fire Safety Inspection Certificates were issued, a 24.38% increase compared to the 242 certificates issued in 1999.

Another preventive measure is maintaining Community Relations. As a result, more fire drills were conducted and more volunteers trained in this year as can be seen in Table 5.32. At the same time, 300 empty drums were distributed to serve as stand-by water containers in cases of emergencies.

Mandaluyong City is adequately provided with fire station facilities considering that the three (3) existing fire substations located as shown in Map 55 have overlapping radii of services.

Based on standards, one fire substation should be within a radius of 2.5 km., 5 km. and 10 km. from commercial-industrial areas, medium to high density residential areas, and low density residential areas, respectively. The city is mostly medium to high density residential with commercial strips and has a total land area of 11.25 sq. km., well within the coverage of one fire substation.

In addition, the city is adequately served with roads such that the ideal travel time of two (2) minutes from the station to the fire can be achieved. There are, however, certain problems that have to be addressed for a more efficient fire fighting service.

Despite adequacy of roads and relatively short distances between fire substations and the sites on fire, there are instances when fire trucks are delayed due to traffic congestion in some areas and the negative attitude of drivers particularly of public utility vehicles to pull over the side of the road and give way to fire trucks and other vehicles responding to the emergency calls. An additional of one (1) to two (2) minutes of travel time would certainly result to greater damages which road users must be made aware of.

Based on the Fire Incidence Report, causes of most fires such as discarded glowing cigarette butts, leaking gas tanks, and faulty electrical wiring, are preventable in nature and resulting from carelessness, negligence, or ignorance of the individual who caused the fire.

By standards, the fireman-population ratio should be at least 1 : 500 for urban/metropolitan areas. In actual, the City of Mandaluyong has a ratio of 1 : 3,355 which means that one fireman has 3,355 people under his protection, almost seven (7) times that of the standard.

By standard area coverage, the existing three substations are more than sufficient to serve the entire city. However there are factors that suggest the need for additional fire substations, to wit;

1. Existing substations are not sufficient to accommodate increase in fire-fighting personnel and apparatus/fire trucks
2. Influx of people and increase in building density as a consequence of intensification of land uses/activities pursuant to the approved Comprehensive Land Use Plan of the City.