Quezon City Fire District
The Quezon City Fire District (Filipino: Distritong Pamatay Sunog ng Lungsod Quezon) also known as the Quezon City Fire Department and Fire District 5 is an agency of the Department Of Interior and Local Government (DILG) specifically under the Bureau of Fire Protection National Capital Region responsible for implementing national policies related to Firefighting and Protection as well as implementation of the Philippine Fire Code (PD 1185), which was repealed and replaced by the New Fire Code of the Philippines (RA 9514). Formerly known as the Constabulary Central Fire District, the QCFD is in charge of the administration and management of city fire and emergency services in Quezon City.
History
The Quezon City Fire Department was established together with the other departments of the newly formed Quezon City in 1939. It had a skeletal Firefighting force and was usually augmented by the Manila Fire Department.
It was then Mayor Nicanor A. Roxas who formally appointed a Fire Chief by the name of Gaudioso Villegas.
World War II came, and the Fire Services Department's control was ceded to the newly formed Japanese Government, particularly the Kempei Tai.
After the war, the national government restructured all fire services were transferred operational control to the Philippine Constabulary. It was the Metropolitan Police Force Fire Service that exercised overall control over the various fire departments of Metro Manila, including the Quezon City Fire Department. On June 16, 1952 and subsequently on August 22, 1972 by virtue of RA 537 and 6548, the QC Fire Department was placed under the operational control of the City Mayor.
The Philippine Constabulary was integrated with the municipal and city police services, thus creating the Integrated National Police. The Quezon City Fire Department was renamed Central Fire District. It retained this name until 1991 when the Bureau of Fire Protection was established, further absorbing operational control over all Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services in the Philippines. These changes to the organization moved administrative and operational control of the Central Fire District to the Bureau of Fire Protection National Capital Region (BFP-NCR).
Central Fire District was again restructured and its name reverted to Quezon City Fire District at the dawn of the new millennia.
Lineage of Fire Chiefs
The following are the list of Fire Chiefs of the Quezon City Fire Department, Central Fire District, and Quezon City Fire District. List is partially complete as information is not that readily available on existing public documents:
- Chief Gaudioso Villegas - May 4, 1949 - March 5, 1955
- Chief Vicente P Novales - January 4, 1950 - December 30, 1953
- Chief Salvador G Narcelles - January 1, 1954 - December 30, 1971
- Maj Arturo Torres PC - April 1, 1976 - April 14, 1986
- Supt Carlito Saqueton Romero BFP - January 1, 1997 - April 4, 2000 (started as Chief Inspector; finished as Superintendent)
- CInsp Oscar V Villegas BFP - July 1, 2001 - July 1, 2004
- SSupt Bobby V Baruelo BFP - July 1, 2004 - February 26, 2013
- Supt Jesus A Fernandez BFP - February 26, 2013 – Present
Mission
The mission of the Bureau of Fire Protection:
- To prevent and suppress destruction caused by fires.
- Implement the provisions of RA 9514.
- Provide emergency medical and rescue services to the general public.
Organization
The Quezon City Fire Department is divided into 19 Fire Stations covering the 142 Barangays of Quezon City. The location of these stations are patterned after the police stations of the Quezon City Police District:
Base Units
- QCFD HQs Support Unit
- QCFD Special Rescue Unit
- QCFD Fire Safety Enforcement Unit
Line Units
- Quezon City Central Fire Station - Agham Road (in front of Philippine Science High School), Pag-asa, QC
- Pinagkaisahan Fire sub-station - Beside Ramon Magsaysay High School (in front of Nepa Q Mart), Pinagkaisahan, QC
- La Loma Fire sub-station - Malaya corner Angelo Streets, La Loma, QC
- Frisco Fire sub-station - Roosevelt Avenue, San Francisco Del Monte, QC
- Galas Fire sub-station - Unang Hakbang Street, Galas, QC
- Novaliches Fire sub-station - Doña Imelda Subdivision, Novaliches, QC
- Baesa Fire sub-station - Quirino Highway, Baesa, QC
- San Bartolome Fire sub-station - San Bartolome Road, San Bartolome, QC
- Marilag Fire sub-station - Lakandula Street corner P. Tuazon Avenue, Proj. 4, QC
- Bahay Toro Fire sub-station - Road 15, Bgy Bahay Toro, QC
- IBP Fire sub-station - Batasan Pambansa Complex, Batasan Hills, QC
- Lagro Fire sub-station - E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Pasong Putik, QC
- Fairview Fire sub-station - Pearl Street, North Fairview, QC
- BF Fire sub-station - J. Ortega corner Briones Streets, BF Homes Subdivision, QC
- Talipapa Fire sub-station - Quirino Highway, Bgy Talipapa, QC
- New Era Fire sub-station - Tandang Sora Avenue, Bgy New Era, QC
- Eastwood City-Libis Fire sub-station - C.P. Garcia Avenue, Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, QC
- Masambong Fire sub-station - Masambong, QC
- Anonas-Quirino 2C Fire sub-station - Barangay Hall Cpd, Quirino 2-C, QC
See also
- Department of Interior and Local Government
- Bureau of Fire Protection
- Bureau of Fire Protection National Capital Region
- Manila Fire District
- Fire District II
- Fire District III
- Fire District IV
- Quezon City Police District
- Quezon City Jail
References
- Citations
- Bibliography