Fire was an essential discovery that eventually helped man in taking control of his surroundings. If we trace the origins of fire, we might as well say that the first humans were blessed with it the first time tangible fire, being sunlight, touched their skin. But according to archaeologists, it was around the Lower Paleolithic age when we began using fire and that takes a journey back worth 400,000 years. Early man used it to fend off predators at night to keep him from becoming an instant meal. It kept him warm during the nights when temperatures dropped. Through fire, he was able to cook and he welcomed better-tasting food into his mouth. Being around fire provided a sense of security and belongingness around people. We can say that it fostered the earliest conversations and dialogues that paved the way for the development of society. It enabled him to forge weapons; age by age, fire was there to allow man to have a grip of his world. Now that we have been through various revolutions in our collective experience, it seems logical that we have control of the elements-fire particularly-but sometimes things can still get out of hand and it doesn’t seem to be that friendly with us.
That is why the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is out there to promote Fire Prevention Month every March. Right in the smack of summer, fires sprout everywhere leading to casualties and damage to property. It can pull down a country’s productivity and spirits. And nothing can compare to the pain felt by people who lose their dreams among the flames as their hardwork turns to ashes. As they say: “naging abo ang mga pangarap” (dreams turned to ashes). During Fire Prevention Month, the BFP leads other concerned parties in promoting a culture of awareness and vigilance by conducting the necessary fire drills and conducting information dissemination and safety campaigns. This will all go to waste if the message does not get ingrained in the people’s mindset.
We fight fire with fire. And the fire that we wield is one that is fuelled by vigilance. It should be a desire burning with an utmost concern for human lives and property. Preventing the onslaught of preventable fires will lead to increased productivity and it will also be propagating a feeling of security around the citizenry, and even to the visitors of the country. This month’s flames should spread to the other pages of the calendar. Not the literal flames though.
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