Bureau of Fire Protection

Government fire service of the Philippines

Bureau of Fire ProtectionKawanihan ng Tagapangalaga Laban sa Sunog

Operational area
Country| Philippines
Agency overview
Established| January 29, 1991; 33 years ago (1991-01-29)
Employees| 32,892 (2022 estimate) [1][self-published source?]
Annual budget| ₱27.11 billion (2023)[2]
Fire chief| FDIR. Louie S. Puracan, CEO VI
Motto| "Save Lives and Properties"
Facilities and equipment
Stations| 51 (cities), 597 (municipalities) (2018)[3]
Trucks| 2,683 (2018)[3]
Website
http://bfp.gov.ph/

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP; Filipino: Kawanihan ng Tagapangalaga Laban sa Sunog[4]) is the government body in the Philippines responsible for the provision of fire services. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

## Functions and duties

[edit]

The BFP is responsible for ensuring public safety through the prevention or suppression of all destructive fires on buildings, houses, and other similar structure, forests, and land transportation vehicles and equipment, ships/vessels docked at piers, wharves or anchored at major seaports, petroleum industry installations. It is also responsible for the enforcement of the Fire Code of the Philippines (PD 1185) and other related laws, conduct investigations involving fire incidents and causes thereof including the filing of appropriate complaints/cases.[5]

According to its website, the primary functions of the BFP are[6]

* Prevention and suppression of all destructive fires;
* Enforcement of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (RIRR) of the Republic Act No. 9514 otherwise known as the Fire Code of the Philippines (PD 1185) and other related laws;
* Investigate the causes of fires and if necessary, file a complaint to the city or provincial prosecutor relating to the case;
* In events of national emergency, will assist the military on the orders of the President of the Philippines;
* And establish at least one fire station with all personnel and equipment per municipality and provincial capital.

## History

[edit]

Bureau of Fire Protection National headquarters along Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue (formerly Agham Road) in Quezon City

The BFP was formed from the units of the Integrated National Police's Office of Fire Protection Service on January 29, 1991 through Republic Act No. 6975, which created the present Interior Department and placed the provision of fire services under its control.[7]

Republic Act No. 6975, or the Department of Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, took effect on January 1, 1991 and paved the way for the establishment of the Philippine National Police, BFP and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology as separate entities. Specifically, the Fire Bureau's charter was created under Chapter IV (Section 53 to 59) and carried-out through the provisions of Rule VII (Sections 49 to 58) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the act. The organization was then placed under the direct supervision of the DILG undersecretary for peace and order. The Appropriation Act of 1991 also caused the inaugural operation of the BFP on August 2, 1991 as a distinct agency of the government, with the initial preparation of its operation plans and budget (OPB) undertaken by the staff of the Office of the National Chief Fire Marshal at Camp Crame, Quezon City headed by F/Brigadier General Ernesto Madriaga, INP (1990–1992), which took over from the long reign of F/Major Primo D. Cordeta (Ret.), the first chief fire marshal (1978–1989). Madriaga served as the BFP's first acting fire chief/director from 1991 to 1992.

The fire ranks used until 1991:[8]

Fire Brigadier General
Fire Colonel
Fire Lieutenant Colonel
Fire Major
Fire Captain
Fire Lieutenant
Fire Sergeant
Fire Corporal
Fireman First Class
Fireman

In 2021, Republic Act No.11589, or the BFP Modernization Act, was enacted into law, mandating the implementation of a ten year program to modernize the BFP.[9][10] The law also enabled the creation of security and protection units (SPUs) in each regional and city fire station and allowed 14 members at most per SPU to bear firearms.[11]

## Organizational Structure

[edit]

The bureau is headed by a chief, and is assisted by a deputy chief. It has regional offices, headed by a person with the rank of chief superintendent or senior superintendent. It also has provincial offices, district offices, and city or municipal stations.

Aside from fire fighting units, the bureau has a Special Rescue/HAZMAT unit, an Emergency Medical Services unit, a Special Operations Unit, an Arson Investigation Unit, the Fire Law Enforcement Service, and the Fire National Training Institute.

The current leadership is as follows:

* Commander-in-Chief: Pres. Bongbong Marcos
* Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (SILG): Atty. Benjamin DC Abalos Jr.
* Undersecretary for Public Safety, DILG: Usec. Serafin P. Barreto Jr., CESO IV
* Chief, Bureau of Fire Protection (C, BFP): FDir. Louie S. Puracan, CEO VI
* The Deputy Chief for Administration (TDCA, BFP): FCSupt. Jesus P. Fernandez (acting capacity)
* The Deputy Chief for Operations (TDCO, BFP): FCSupt. Wilberto Rico Neil A. Kwan Tiu
* The Chief of Directorial Staff (TDCS, BFP): FCSupt. Manuel M. Manuel (acting capacity)

The National Headquarters is composed of:

* Office of the Chief, BFP
* Office of the Deputy Chief for Administration
* Office of the Deputy Chief for Operations
* BFP Directorial Staff
* Directorate for Intelligence and Investigation
* Directorate for Operations
* Directorate for Plans and Standard Development
* Directorate for Comptrollership
* Directorate for Fire Safety Enforcement
* Directorate for Logistics
* Directorate for Personnel and Records Management
* Directorate for Information and Communications Management
* Directorate for Human Resource Development

Rank Structure

The ranks of commissioned officers are as follows:

* Director
* Chief Superintendent
* Senior Superintendent
* Superintendent
* Chief Inspector
* Senior Inspector
* Inspector

The ranks of non-commissioned officers are as follows:

* Senior Fire Officer 4
* Senior Fire Officer 3
* Senior Fire Officer 2
* Senior Fire Officer 1
* Fire Officer 3
* Fire Officer 2
* Fire Officer 1

Non-Uniformed Personnel

The bureau employs a host civilian personnel and employees having no rank. Civil service employees carry their civil service grade.

## Equipment

[edit]

The bureau provides fire fighting vehicles depending on the jurisdiction's capabilities. Each city and municipality in the Philippines has one to four such vehicles in their inventories at a minimum.

This incomplete list is frequently updated to include new information.

Photos  | Model  | Origin  | Type  | Note

|
|
|
|

| Isuzu Forward | Japan  | Medium Fire engine | New Euro 4 variant was procured under Duterte Administration.
| Isuzu Giga | Japan  | Heavy Fire engine | New Euro 4 variant was procured under Duterte Administration.
| MAN TGM 18.250 Rosenbauer TLF 4000 | Austria  | Heavy Fire engine | Procured under the Aquino Administration. used in Highly-Urbanized Cities
| Pierce Dash 100 | United States  | Aerial Fire engine | Acquired under Quezon City Government
| Hino Ranger | Japan  | Medium Fire engine | Acquired under Cebu City Government
| 1982 Ford Roughneck F800 | United States  | Medium Fire engine | Procured during 1980's under the Marcos Administration. used in municipalities.
| Hyundai HD120 | South Korea  | Medium Fire engine |
| Dongfeng Hubei 4x2  | China  | Medium Fire engine | Procured under the Aquino Administration. used in municipalities
| Isuzu NDR | Japan  | Light Fire engine |

## List of BFP Chiefs

[edit]

The following is an incomplete list.

Name  | Term  | Note

|
|

As the Chief National Fire Marshal of INP Office of Fire Protection
F/Maj. Primo D. Cordeta  | 1978 – 1989  |
F/BGen. Ernesto G. Madriaga  | 1990 – 1991  |
As the Chief, Bureau of Fire Protection
F/BGen Ernesto G. Madriaga  | 1991 – 1992  | OIC
F/Maj. Gen. Mario Tanhanco[12] | 1992 – 1993  |
F/BGen. Alfonso Torres Clemente  | 1993 – 1994  |
SSUPT Bonifacio Japson Garcia  | 1994  |
SSUPT Edgar Gayotin Gimotea  | 1994  |
SSUPT Felipe Tarroza Carpio  | 1994 – 1995  |
SSUPT Bonifacio Japson Garcia  | 1995 – 1997  |
SSUPT Gil Paz Jacinto  | 1997  |
SSUPT Donato Bernal Gonzales  | 1997  | A medical doctor
SSUPT Rolando Martir Jacomille  | 1997  |
DIR Rogelio Naval Tumabaga  | 1997 – 1998  |
Raymundo E. Padua  | 1998 – 2000  | In also as the DILG Assistant Secretary, a Police Superintendent (now P/Lt. Col.)[13]
CSUPT Francisco Shimotzu Senot [14] | 2000 – 2004  |
DIR Rogelio Francisco Asignado [15] | 2004 – 2006  |
DIR Jose Elisan Collado [16] | 2006 – 2007  |
DIR Enrique Cumbe Lisangan [17] | 2007 – 2008  |
DIR Rolando Maaño Bandilla [18] | 2008 – 2011  |
CSUPT Samuel Rivera Perez [19] | 2011 – 2012  | OIC
CSUPT Ruben Fornaleza Bearis, Jr.[20] | 2012 – 2013  | Appointed as OIC first
CSUPT Carlito Saqueton Romero [21] | 2013 – 2014  |
DIR Ariel Aguilar Barayuga [21] | 2014 – 2016  |
CSUPT Rodrigo Reyes Abrazaldo [22] | 2016  |
DIR Bobby Vargas Baruelo [23] | 2016 – 2017  |
DIR Leonard Bañago [24] | Jul 11, 2017 – Sept 29, 2017  | OIC
Sept 29, 2017 – Jan 7, 2020  |
DIR Jose Embang Jr.[25][24] | Jan 7, 2020 – September 7, 2021  |
DIR Louie Puracan [26][27] | Sept 6, 2021 – Oct 12, 2021  | OIC
Oct 12, 2021 – present  |

## See also

[edit]

* Philippine National Police
* Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Bureau of Fire Protection". Facebook.
2. ^ B. Bureau of Fire Protection
3. ^ a b Mayuga, Jonathan L. (March 21, 2018). "Tragedy of fires: Death and destruction in the Philippines | Jonathan L. Mayuga". BusinessMirror.
4. ^ "Remarks of Gen Eduardo M Ano (Ret) OIC, DILG – Fire Service Convention Davao" (PDF). Davao City: Department of Interior and Local Government. June 8, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
5. ^ "History of BFP". Bureau of Fire Protection – Region 1. Retrieved October 9, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
6. ^ "Mandates and functions". bfp.gov.ph. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
7. ^ "R.A. 6975". lawphil.net.
8. ^ "PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1184". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
9. ^ Caliwan, Christopher Lloyd (September 12, 2021). "New law to help BFP go beyond traditional firefighting role". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
10. ^ Ismael, Javier Joe (September 12, 2021). "BFP modernization law enactment lauded". The Manila Times. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
11. ^ Chavez, Chito (September 12, 2021). "Año says arming firefighters will expand their role during emergency, critical times". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
12. ^ Porcalla, Delon. "Child abuse charges vs ex-BFP chief dismissed". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
13. ^ Tabonares, Gina. "Fire bureau cleansing must start from the top". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
14. ^ Punongbayan, Michael. "Ex-BFP chief gets 90 years in prison". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
15. ^ Felipe, Bebot Sison Jr ,Cecille Suerte. "Former BFP chief owns up to paid ad on PNP promotions". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. ^ "BFP ordered to strictly enforce the Fire Code". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
17. ^ Felipe, Bebot Sison Jr ,Cecille Suerte. "DILG revamps top BFP officials". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
18. ^ Maaño, Ronaldo C.; Maaño, Roselyn A.; De Castro, Pedro Jose; Chavez, Enrico P.; De Castro, Susana C.; Maligalig, Cielito D. (August 23, 2023). "SmartHatch: An Internet of Things–Based Temperature and Humidity Monitoring System for Poultry Egg Incubation and Hatchability". 2023 11th International Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICoICT). IEEE. pp. 178–183. doi:10.1109/icoict58202.2023.10262810. ISBN 979-8-3503-2198-2. S2CID 263228883.
19. ^ Padua, Reinir. "Suspect tagged in BFP exec's mugging". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
20. ^ Felipe, Bebot Sison Jr ,Cecille Suerte. "Roxas names new BFP chief". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
21. ^ a b Felipe, Bebot Sison Jr ,Cecille Suerte. "BFP has new chief". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. ^ Felipe, Bebot Sison Jr ,Cecille Suerte. "BFP to procure P2.5-B new fire trucks". Philstar.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
23. ^ Marquez, Consuelo (October 5, 2019). "Former BFP chief Bobby Baruelo dies of cardiac arrest". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
24. ^ a b Gonzales, Cathrine (January 7, 2020). "New BFP acting chief vows to end corruption, malpractices in fire bureau". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
25. ^ "FIRE CHIEF JOSE EMBANG JR. RETIREMENT HONORS AND TURN OVER CEREMONY - Secretary's Corner - DILG". www.dilg.gov.ph. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
26. ^ Mercado, Neil Arwin (September 6, 2021). "PS-DBM, PITC blamed over 'undelivered' BFP procurements from 2015 to 2017". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
27. ^ "Boholano BFP director promoted to two-star general". BOHOLCHRONICLE.COM.PH. October 12, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Bureau of Fire Protection at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website