BFP defends ‘fire trikes’ amid online criticism

MANILA — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has defended the use of small fire trikes, saying the vehicles can help firefighters respond faster to emergencies in narrow streets and areas inaccessible to regular fire trucks.

BFP Officer-in-Charge FCSupt. Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu made the statement following the circulation of photos of fire trikes on social media, where their firefighting capabilities were questioned.

Kwan Tiu said the vehicles are usually initiatives of local government units (LGUs) meant to augment the assets of fire stations, particularly those lacking sufficient fire trucks.

“Malaking tulong po ito dahil nga madagdagan ang assets ng ating mga local fire stations ng ating mga BDRMO at ng ating mga local disaster risk reduction management office,” he said.

He explained that the smaller vehicles are designed to enter narrow alleys and roads that regular fire trucks may have difficulty accessing.

Kwan Tiu urged the public not to underestimate the vehicles because of their size and limited water capacity, stressing that the effectiveness of a fire response also depends on how quickly firefighters can reach a burning structure and begin cooling it down.

“Dahil sa isang sunog, hindi lamang laki ng fire truck ang batayan sa pagiging epektibo ng isang fire response. In a fire operation, the most important strategy is on how fast you can introduce a cooling effect in a burning structure,” he said. 

“Dito nagiging mahalaga at epektibo ang ating mga fire trike. Kaya sa halip na maliitin o gawing biro ang isang maliit na fire trike, tingnan natin ito bilang isang mahalagang bahagi ng ating fire response capability,” he stressed. 

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier clarified that the small fire trikes circulating online were not the fire trucks being procured by the department for P10 million each.

Remulla said the planned procurement would involve fire trucks from South Korea.

Separately, Kwan Tiu outlined the BFP’s plan to acquire 1,500 fire trucks through a government-to-government agreement under a multi-year acquisition program.

He said the procurement would help activate and operationalize fire stations in areas that currently lack fire services, while also supporting the replacement of aging fire trucks and the modernization of existing stations.

“This procurement also supports the service upgrading and modernization program, which include the refleeting of our aging fire truck and the enhancement of capabilities of existing fire stations to meet the ideal requirement for effective fire response operation,” he added. 

The BFP currently uses regular fire trucks with varying capacities, including 500-, 750- and 1,000-gallon units, Kwan Tiu said.

He assured the public that the agency would ensure the quality of the fire trucks it acquires.

“Nananawagan din po ako sa ating publiko na huwag natin gawing biro ang mga asset ng fire service dahil isa lang po ang layunin nito: to serve, protect, and save lives,” he said.