Leyte town to have fire station, truck

SAN MIGUEL, Leyte, Dec. 10 (PNA) -- This town will finally have its own fire station and fire truck next year, the local government unit here reported.

The town is one of the 56 municipalities in Eastern Visayas without fire station, but they have firemen, according to Mayor Cheeryl Enrica Esperas.

However, this problem will soon be answered when the on-going construction of a two-storey fire station will be completed next year.

“This is the very first time that we will have our own fire station. I am very happy to have been the sitting mayor and the one who made follow-up on this project,” Esperas said.

During emergencies, the town has to ask assistance from firemen assigned in nearby towns of Alangalang and Barugo, which are more than 15 kilometers away.

“This is very important for us and we are thankful that this was fast tracked by those who helped us in the rehabilitation phase after super typhoon Yolanda,” the mayor added.

She added that local government leaders should be persistent in asking national government agencies to fund their needed project since local resources are not sufficient to address immediate needs.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the national government has to spend PHP2.5 million to establish fire station and PHP4 million to acquire a fire truck. At least 14 firemen are needed to man a fire station 24 hours. (PNA)
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