BAGUIO CITY – Following the reported fire incidents in the city, the employees of the Baguio Animal Breeding and Research Center (BABRC) put in place forest fire prevention measures by building firelines at areas susceptible to forest fires on March 1, 2024.
The firelines, doing “backfire attacks” or building counter fires on the opposite side and removing dried leaves and branches, as a means to starve and deprive the fire, is one of the most effective measures to stop the spread of forest fires.
According to the Baguio City Fire Station, beginning January 1, 2024 to February 23, 2024, there are 21 recorded fire incidents here in the City. Also, numerous fire incidents were recorded in Tuba, Benguet, near the premises of BABRC.
Hence, this alerted the management and sees the immediate need to implement preventive forest fire measures within the center, it being susceptible to forest fire due to the presence of dry grasses.
Any fire incidents will cause detrimental effects to the projects/activities being conducted by the center such as animal breeding, crop production, field trials, and hands-on training sites. It will greatly disturb the production and operations of the center while incurring losses to the government.
BABRC is a 94-hectare government reserve and is being utilized as an animal breeding station and crop production. Also, it is a research center that serves as a satellite station of Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Center under highland conditions and links between the regional and provincial Research Development and Extension programs.
In addition to the firelines, the management reiterated to its staffs and employees, particularly the farms laborers and roving security guards, to refrain from smoking within the area’s present dry grasses as the cigarette buts may cause a forest fire.
For fire incidents and emergencies, you may contact the nearest Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Station with their respective contact details provided at their official website: https://car.bfp.gov.ph/about-us/bfp-car-directory/, or may contact +639171500041. By Crizal A. Adcapan
