Eye-witness account of firefighters', SOCO's impressive performances

Eye-witness account of firefighters', 
SOCO's impressive performances

"We can no longer tolerate losing one more innocent child or putting one more firefighter at risk in a fire that could have been prevented at the cost of pennies by making a couple simple changes to the construction of a cigarette." ED MARKEY

 By Alex P. Vidal

We were so impressed while personally witnessing how our firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Iloilo City, assisted by the Iloilo Mountain Tigers, and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the Regional Police Office 6 in Camp Delgado responded to the fire scene last February 15 in Brgy. Rizal Pala-Pala Zone 1, at around seven o'clock in the morning. 
We never left the place we occupied since we arrived as it was the best location to have a panoramic view of what was going on for those intending to shoot with their camera. True enough, the photos taken from our digital camera proved us right. 
We were able to capture some of the best scenes as firefighters and rescue teams put off the conflagration that razed seven residential areas.

ELEMENTS

Our camera also captured some elements of human drama and morbid scenes--hysterical residents and grieving family members--especially when SOCO men lifted the charred body of nine-year-old John Rey "John-John" Pacardo, the lone fatality in the three-hour fire located a stone throw away from the city's busiest public market.
The fire failed to spread to other areas as firefighters performed superbly with alacrity and dispatch. They were sharp, alert, skillful, quick and very professional. The weather condition--and the fact that it happened at daytime--also tilted on the firebusters' favor.
Contrary to reports, the place was not a slum area. Most of the houses were made of concrete materials thus fire failed to spread rapidly. The place used to be a squatters' colony before the National Housing Authority (NHA) subdivided it.

BLANKET

SOCO men wrapped Pacardo's body with a blanket and removed it with clinical precision from the gutted house without hampering the firefighters' clearing operations. They arrived equipped with complete tools and medical kits just in time to bring down Pacardo's body before the debris would collapse. 
No one was panicky. No one was injured from among the firefighters and rescuers. Everyone knew what to do and how to do their assigned tasks and responsibilities. It was one of the most orderly and efficient fire response actions we've ever seen from our authorities in recent years. Even the residents applauded the firefighters' job well-done!
Village chief Allen Rey Depatillo and his barangay council members and tanods also helped cordon the area thus preventing bystanders and thieves from entering the area where firefighters were conducting their operations.
Fire trucks from other municipalities and the Iloilo Citizens Action Group (ICAG) also responded quickly and helped avert a big disaster similar to the 1993 "super-fire" that devoured seven barangays, including the same the barangay. It was the second major fire that hit the metropolis. Several business establishments in the Chinatown area in downtown, City Proper district were also razed by fire on the eve of Dinagyang festival highlights last month.