DAGUPAN CITY – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), in partnership with the city of Dagupan, conducted the first-ever Junior Fire Olympics in the city on March 8 at the CSI helipad, participated in by students from seven secondary schools.
Fire Chief Inspector Georgian Pascua, BFP’s OIC Fire Marshal, disclosed that the activity was aimed at involving students not just in the observance of the fire prevention month but also to become fire safety advocates in their respective schools and communities.
“This is not the first activity that we intend to do in the city involving the youth. We have more of this until the practice becomes a habit to them,” said Pascua.
Mayor Belen T. Fernandez fully supported the program and even provided junior fireman suits to the participants.
“This is a very important activity for our youth. We do not just educate them but we also empower them and train them to become responsive. Civil duty starts even when we are still young and there’s no better time than today to train them,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez expressed hope that the students who participated in the program will become mentors in their own school to teach other youth on how to prevent fire.
“We have started training our youth on how to become bulilit entrepreneurs, bulilit POSO and now bulilit firemen,” said Fernandez.
The seven secondary schools that participated in the activity were the Dagupan City National High School, Salapingao National High School, Judge Jose De Venecia Sr. Technical-Vocational Secondary School, Federico N. Ceralde Integrated School, Carael National High School, Bonuan Boquig National High School and East Central Integrated School.
The students competed in hose-throwing, bucket relay, flammable liquid fire extinguishment and hose-on-shoulder relay applying what they learned from personnel of the BFP. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/March 8, 2018)