LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The former provincial fire marshal of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Benguet got added feathers on his cap bringing home four coveted regional and national awards last year.
Fire Superintendent Jessie Annasiw, former provincial fire marshal of BFP Benguet, was recently adjudged as one of the Ten Outstanding Firefighters of the Philippines which is one of the initiatives of SM Prime Holdings. He received the recognition during the awarding ceremony held last December 2, 2024 in Pasay City.
Aside from a plaque of recognition, the fire officer also received PhP250,000 cash reward as one of the country’s top ten firefighters.
The Search for the Ten Outstanding Firefighters of the Philippines which was a collaboration of SM Prime Holdings and BFP aimed to recognize the exceptional bravery and dedication of the country’s firefighters.
For the first time, a private company, SM Prime Holdings, shared the spotlight in the exemplary performance of the ten out of nearly 38,000 BFP personnel distributed in the different parts of the country.
The awardees have gone above and beyond in their duties, risking their lives to protect communities across the country.
Annasiw, who is the current BFP-CAR regional chief of staff, was also recognized as the Senior Fire Officer of the Year in the regional and national levels.
Further, the Benguet Provincial Office which Annasiw previously headed until October last year was adjudged as the Best Provincial Office by the BFP national headquarters during recent recognition rites.
“We were able to achieve the recognitions with the overwhelming support of our fellow firefighters, volunteers and the concerned local government officials. We share the said recognitions with our unsung heroes who had always been supportive of our programs and initiatives to prevent and suppress fire incidents in our area of jurisdiction,” Annasiw stressed.
One of the major concerns of firefighters in Benguet over the past several years is the occurrence of forest fires during the dry months that tend to compromise the province’s state of the environment that is why the BFP Benguet has been aggressive in conducting information and education campaigns to elicit the support of the people in containing the occurrence of fires in their respective communities, especially during the summer months.
Lat year, thousands of hectares of forests in the different parts of the province had been ravaged by forest fires during the dry season that compromised the state of the environment, especially in communities hosting watersheds.
The causes of these forest fires included lighted cigarettes unscrupulously thrown by individuals, unattended grass fires, among others.
Forest fires had been a primordial problem of firefighters in the province through the years because newly planted tree species planted by individuals and groups had been destroyed that affected the increase in forested areas in the province. By Dexter A. See
