De La Salle University-Dasmariñas seeks to promote fire safety and prevention measures with this year’s observance of Fire Prevention Month.
March, declared by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos as Fire Prevention Month via Proclamation No. 115-A, is observed nationwide with different activities and campaigns to disseminate information on fire safety.
March was chosen as the month of observance of Fire Safety Prevention because of the prevalence of fires this season which is often caused by faulty electrical wiring, kitchen accidents as well as other origins.
“The success of any emergency preparedness in any university or institution rests not only upon the equipment that we have but on two things. The first is the knowledge of members of the community on preparedness. The second and the most important thing is cooperation,” General Service Office Director Nathaniel Golla said.
Golla further underscored measures that DLSU-D is undertaking to ensure disaster preparedness, especially for fire prevention.
According to the GSO Director, the University has a permanent fire truck stationed at the University’s Oval which is ready to respond to emergencies. He said that DLSU-D is one of the few schools that has this equipment.
He also said that each building is equipped with its sprinkler system and fire alarm, while each room has a fire extinguisher to put out small fires.
However, he warned members of the community against activating the fire alarms in the buildings for pranks since these are emergency equipment that alerts the community about actual fires. Student violators will be referred to the SWAFO while employees who pull the fire alarms without actual fires will be forwarded to the HR department for administrative charges.
Golla further said that the GSO, through its Safety Office regularly conducts drills on emergency preparedness for faculty and students. During these drills, he underscored the need to assemble in safe zones such as the Heritage Complex in front of the Chapel for the East Campus and the DLSU-D Oval for the West Campus.
To further advocate a culture of emergency preparedness, Golla said that he is planning to coordinate with the Academics to offer an online course on Emergency Preparedness.
“This will be a voluntary course that deals with all types of emergencies such as fire, earthquakes, active shooters and even health concerns such as the Novel Coronavirus or NCov,” he said.
He said that the measure is part of the GSO’s drive to promote quality education and quality safety for all Lasallians.