The office, security, and janitorial personnel of the Port Management Office of Misamis Oriental/Cagayan de Oro (PMO MO/C) received a seminar on fire education and participated in a short fire drill conducted by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Macabalan Fire Station 5 on 19 September 2019.

The said seminar was conducted in the PMO in partnership with the BFP, which forms part of the PMO’s commitment for port safety under its Integrated Management System. The PMO aims to have a quarterly conduct of this kind of seminar for all the employees.

During the lecture, the resource speaker, FO1 Mark Lester Cabilao, talked about first the mandates, functions, and responsibilities of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). He informed that BFP can also respond to medical emergencies as they also have their Emergency Medical Services Unit composed of trained medical first-aiders. They can be reached through 911 hotline. He then discussed the elements of fire, its common causes; ways to respond to a fire incident especially inside the house; and the types of fire extinguisher, its specific purposes, and how to use them.

For the personnel to have a hands-on experience on how to properly use a fire extinguisher, the BFP personnel set-up a fire scenario at the PMO ground. Each participant was given a chance to put out the fire using fire extinguishers.

The BFP also demonstrated to the port security personnel how to put on the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in responding to fire emergencies. They emphasized that putting all the necessary equipment from head to toe, including the carrying of the oxygen tank must take only one (1) minute. It must be noted that time is of the essence when responding to fire incidents.

FO1 Cabilao urged the participants to share the knowledge they have gained from the seminar for the safety of their own families, loved ones, and co-workers. —IMR Lam