WITH the advent of the Yuletide season, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is reminding the public not to purchase substandard Christmas lights to avoid fire incidents during the holidays.
While substandard Christmas lights have been the major cause of fire incidents during the holiday season, Senior Fire Officer 3 (SFO3) Pier Angelo Abellana, chief of Intelligence and Investigation Section of the Cebu City Fire Department, said that the top causes of fire incidents in the city are faulty electrical connections and electrical appliances.
Christmas lights without Import Commodity Stickers (ICC), or those with fake substitutes, are considered substandard. Republic Act 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines, mandates establishments to secure Philippine Standard (PS) and ICC for Christmas lights and other electrical products, including appliances.
"Buy Christmas lights with PS or DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) marks," Abellana said.
SFO3 Abellana also reminded the public to turn off all electrical appliances including Christmas lights when not in use, especially at night.
"The most common cause of fire incidents is due to unplugged appliances," he said.
Meanwhile, the BFP, which is on heightened alert this holiday season, is planning to conduct house-to-house visits in different barangays in the city next month to give fire safety tips. (University of San Carlos AB Communications interns Erica Jill Dancel and Reva Alixz Hermosa/VoxPop Philippines)