Firefighters Can Now Carry Guns As Duterte Wants “World-Class” Institution
FIREFIGHTERS CAN CARRY GUNS – In the Philippines, firemen are now allowed to carry firearms.
Yesterday, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the controversial bill that arms over 2,000 firefighters. According to Duterte, this would become the Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) catalyst for a 10-year modernization program.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the law would transform the BFP into a “world-class institution”. Now, the question is: “Why give firefighters guns?”.
Well, based on an article from One News, the program isn’t limited to just firearms. The acquisition of modern equipment, vehicles, and personal protective gear is also included.
Additionally, the program boasts to implement skills and capability enhancement programs for officials and personnel including volunteers and fire safety practitioners. Among these skills include but are not limited to:
- fire prevention and suppression
- fire inspection and clearance
- investigation
- disaster preparedness
- rescue, emergency medical response and other operations.
However, the issue of the controversial law is still apparent. In a field where fire is the enemy, why allow a response team to carry guns?
As a response to this frequently asked query, Duterte explained that firemen confront several dangers in their line of work. As per the article, the President said:
The problem is whenever there’s fire, everyone wants to be prioritized, especially if it’s a conflagration that is really a big one, they want their areas to be responded first, if not, they will threaten the firefighters who are helpless…
The police don’t enter the fire site… they maintain the traffic outside. Those who are angry cut the hose so there are many challenges in the work of the firefighters
Earlier this year, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa sponsored the bill which allowed a total of 2,282 firemen to carry guns. The decision was made to allow their colleagues protection as they perform their duties.
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