‘Tap 5,000 nurses of BFP corps to create National Emergency Medical Service’

More than 5,000 fire officers today are nursing graduates, “a big professional pool which can be tapped as the backbone of a National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) which this country does not have,” according to Senator Joel Villanueva.

Interpellating the measure at the Senate plenary on Monday, Villanueva cited the overwhelming number of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel with “medical background,” in his call to maximize this human resource as the “foundation of a national EMS.”

Out of the 27,968 BFP personnel, 5,380 have health sciences degrees, 5,034 of whom are graduates of BS in Nursing, Villanueva said, citing a May 2020 BFP document.

“Mayroon po sa hanay ng BFP na 79 graduates ng Radiologic Technology, 62 ang physical therapists, 56 na nagtapos ng Medical Technology, 42 ang pharmacists, 39 ang mga dentista, habang ang natitira ay mga graduates ng Nutrition, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory Science,” said Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee.

In addition, 238 BFP officers have dual health-related degrees, “such as the 12 physicians in its ranks, and the 200 with master’s degrees. May 10 na nurses sa hanay ng BFP na mayroong specialized training sa surgical nursing,” Villanueva said.

He said the nurses in the BFP rolls are nearly equal to number of nurses whom local governments hired in 2019 which was 5,975.

“If one in six of fire officers today are graduates of health courses, shouldn’t we be exploring if this rich potential can be tapped for the public good?” Villanueva said in interpellating Sen. Ronald de la Rosa who was defending the proposed BFP Modernization Act on the Senate floor on Monday afternoon.

The bill already lists emergency medical services as BFP’s mandate but Villanueva wanted this “expanded and well-funded that it becomes a major function of BFP alongside fire prevention.”

“Dito po sa atin wala namang lead national agency na kung merong aksidente sa kalsada o malaking sakuna sa pabrika ay siyang nagreresponde. Wala pa pong ambulance service na isang tawag lang ay nandyan na agad-agad,” Villanueva said.

He said the spate of road crashes underscore the need for an EMS. “Mahigit 10,000 mamamayan ang namamatay po sa mga road accidents, at kung na-trap ang mga biktma sa nayuping bakal, tila aasa na lang po tayo na sana may sapat na equipment ang magreresponde sa disgrasya,” he said.

Asked by Villanueva if how many “jaws-of-life”–the hydraulic rescue apparatus that pries open wreckage such as crashed vehicles like a pair of giant scissors–the BFP has, De la Rosa replied, “only 46 at present.”

That, Villanueva pointed out, underscores the need to prioritize EMS vehicles in BFP equipment modernization.

He revealed that the agency has only 122 working ambulances. “Kung ikakalat po sa lahat ng lungsod at munisipyo iyan, wala pa po sa 10 porsyento ang mabibigyan.”

Villanueva said he will introduce amendments that will “expand and explain” the important role of EMS in BFP’s future.

“Panahon na magkaroon ng National EMS. Nandyan na ang panimulang manpower base sa BFP. Magagaling at magigiting ang ating mga bumbero. Hindi lang kayang pumatay ng sunog kaya din magligtas ng buhay,” the lawmaker said.