THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION Modern life is associated with amenities and luxuries that people enjoy the convenience, this include appliances, personal; gadgetry, high rise condominiums, hotels recreation centers, furniture and fixtures. Mass production techniques and practices paved the way for availability of such goods that are affordable it manly, the advent of new materials like plastic and vinyl provided the convenience that was unheard of in the past. People now live in concrete structures, through modern fabrication method: building components can be assembled imp matter of days. Provision of interior decorations is relatively done easily by widespread use of synthetic materials for carpeting and upholstery. This new trend of modern life poses a hazard to the lives of building occupants by the nature of its physical composition. Majority of these items, which are in common use, are combustibles or hazardous materials that catches fire easily. Fire is an agent of chemical change. Uncontrolled, it can wreak havoc to many people, maiming, killing and wasting hundreds olives. It can easily convert valuable asset to ash or smoldering heap of useless objects. Man has attempted to tame fire. However, due to apathy, ignorance and neglect, fire remained to be on of mankind’s greatest cursed. Notwithstanding the huge magnitude of destruction brought about by fire, it has contributed much for man to make inroads in terms of progress and development. The knowledge on the behavior and characteristics of fire increases as time passed. The enhance understanding on the process of combustion prompted the people to devise ways to protect themselves from destructive fire. Safety measures, laws and codes regulating building construction, installation of fire protective devices and production of hazardous material were formulated to minimize the loss of lives and properties. Fire department was organized primarily to provide the fire protection services to the community. Traditionally, their role is to systematically extinguish fire in case it occurs and to prevents fire through enforcement of life safety codes. Today fire departments assume multiple roles, when fire protection professionals and the citizenry became aware of the dangers that we are confronting today. These include conduct of disaster mitigation efforts during floods, earthquakes and explosions, emergency medical response to the threatening situations, public education, information and relation campaigns to promote fire safety, prevention of harm and other broader roles related to preservation of lives and properties. Fire protection service must adopt performance and high impact programs and projects to address community problems and provide basic services. It should give credence to accountability and practice cost-effective implementation of its programs, It should explore alternatives in view of improving its efficiency and make use of available technologies to improve its services and control cost. It is of importance for the welfare of a community to attain some degree of knowledge on how to handle fires not only during ordinary times but at most on emergency cases. Fires may be man’s friend or foe, Fire is friendly when we make good use of them like in cooking, forging, tools, clearing debris, melting ores and precious metals to name a few of the good uses of fire. However in times when fire is uncontrolled, it become our worst foe, Fire snuff out lives of our relatives, bring down business and destroy everything they come in contact with, Fire education then us vital in every community. It prepares people to be alert and calm when fire occurs. The logic of successful fire fighting is by educating the people in every community on how to combat fire. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has a fire prevention program formulated to prepare every individual or office in a community. Fire drills are staged in schools to prepare school children on what to do during fire outbreaks. Communities are equipped with fire fighting gears and vehicles to make q quick responses to emergencies. Fire brigades are formed and trained for systematic action. This however, is useless without the full support and cooperation of the community, government agencies and the private sector. The common enemy is identified as an uncontrolled fire. Fires can put down the whole business, houses and even lives of our loved ones. Therefore the government has passed bills and acts to create and strengthen the concerned agency, the BFP. This bureau was created under Rule VIII Sec 49 of R.A. No. 6975 of the DILG ACT of 1990. They are responsible in the enforcement of the Fire Code (1185) conduct investigation on fire incidents and file cases in court; assist on AFP and PNP during national emergencies. The BFP ensure community safety through prevention and suppression of all kinds of destructive fires, the provision of emergency medical and rescue services and enforce fire related laws with the active support of the community. Therefore a viable fire prevention program is a must in every community to ensure public safety and prevention of fires, with all these in mind this study was conducted to pursue a well-prepared citizenry.

Background Information Malabon is a coastal town situated in the northern part of Metro-Manila. The City is bounded on the North and Northeast by Valenzuela, on the Northwest by Obando, on the West and Southeast by Navotas on the Southwest by Kalookan City. Malabon is generally flat with slopes ranging from zero (0) to five (5) percent. It is composed of 21 Barangays with Potrero as the largest barangay having 302.71 hectares or about 19% of the town’s land area.
Statement of the Problem This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the Implementation of Fire Prevention Program of Malabon City Fire Station as perceived by the Fire Safety Enforcers (Implementors ) and Establishment Owner respondents in Barangay Concepcion, Malabon City (Beneficiaries). Specifically, the study attempt to answer the following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the Fire Safety Enforcers respondents and the establishment owner respondents in Barangay Concepcion with regards to : a. Age b. Sex c. Civil Status e. Educational Attainment f. Years of Service for Fire Safety Enforcers/Years in business for the establishment owner. 2. What is the degree in the Implementation of Fire Prevention Program in Malabon City Fire Station in as perceived by both groups of respondents? 3. How do the fire safety enforcers and the establishment owner perceived the Malabon City Fire Station in the Implementation of Fire Prevention Programs regards to; a. Fire Safety Education Activities. and b. Fire Sfaety Enforcement Activities 4. Is there a significant difference between then perception of the Fire Safety Enforcers and establishment owner relative to the effectiveness of the implementation of Fire Prevention Program?