ABSTRACT
The basic method for controlling building fires by fire departments is through the use of water, which is typically applied with manual hose lines or water monitors. This water can come from a municipal/city water supply, a private water supply, or from the fire department itself (i.e., water tenders). In order to effectively fight a fire, the water supply available must be adequate for the threat from the building and contents. The water requirements for firefighting include the rate of flow, the residual pressure required at that flow, the flow duration, and the total quantity of water required (Benfer and Scheffey, 2014).
This paper aims on how to address the supply of water in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. It further wants to determine the status of water supply that will address the challenges encountered in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. This includes determining the status of installed fire hydrants in Iloilo City. Its existing number will be identified and the functionality will be tested with the assistance from the BFP personnel of Iloilo City. Other alternative sources of water used in fire suppression will also be identified and where they can be located. This paper also aims to identify other factors affecting water supply in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. It likewise intends to find out issues and challenges encountered during fire incidents in Iloilo City. Based on the results of the study, recommendations will be provided to the bureau.
Keywords: Water supply, fire incidents, water sources, fire hydrants, fire suppression, standard, best practices, Iloilo City

INTRODUCTION
Cities in the Philippines are contending with urban problems such as congestion, overcrowding, poor quality of life, and rapidly growing poor urban communities. The government needs to address the current situation, and plan for and finance substantial urban development needs. This is a particularly urgent concern in light of the fact that the urban population is expected to grow by as much as 67% by 2030, adding an additional 34.8 million inhabitants to the country’s urban areas. This rapid rate of urban growth is being driven by limited employment opportunities in rural areas, land shortages, natural disasters, and the negative impacts of climate change (ADB, 2013).
The country’s water resources are under mounting stress because of rapid population growth, increasing demand for food production, urbanization, pollution, excessive and inefficient use of water, and climate change. Ensuring adequate availability of water in the future will require protecting the country’s water sources through improvement of catchment areas and watershed protection, regular assessment and monitoring of consumption patterns and trends, and efficient allocation of existing water supplies. All of the latter need to be taken into account in the institutional decision-making framework. The challenge is to assess and manage water resources comprehensively, covering urban and rural areas in a holistic manner (ADB, 2013).
Iloilo City is fast becoming a center for investments and developments what with high-rise buildings and commercial centers mushrooming in the area (The Daily Guardian, 2014). According to the City Planning and Development Officer (CPDO) head Jose Roni Peñalosa in the article “Iloilo City looms as business and tourist center” of The Daily Guardian, Iloilo have large scale investments and other districts and areas have mushrooming projects and they are starting to become competitive. The city of Iloilo is indeed growing and developing both domestically and commercially.
But, growth can also strain community resources that include but are not limited to fire alarm, and emergency communications, fire department response to structural fires and other emergencies, and, most importantly the community water system. New construction, increasing population, and expanding economic activity places demands on a wide variety of municipal services including the above three elements of public sector fire protection. In many places, the need to enlarge public services, especially those functions related to fire protection, comes at the time when other priorities are competing for the same budget dollars (Hickey, 2008).
The results can be devastating. If the fire department, emergency communication facilities, and water supply cannot keep up with the demand for services, a growing community faces the risk of property loss and personal injuries (Hickey, 2008).
It is the policy of the State to ensure public safety and promote economic development through the prevention and suppression of all kinds of destructive fires and promote the professionalization of the fire service as a profession. Towards this end, the State shall enforce all laws, rules and regulations to ensure adherence to standard fire prevention and safety measures, and promote accountability for fire safety in the fire protection service and prevention service (RA 9514, 2008).
Hence, this paper aims on how to address the supply of water in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. It further wants to determine the status of water supply that will address the challenges encountered in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. This includes determining the status of installed fire hydrants in Iloilo City. Its existing number will be identified and the functionality will be tested with the assistance from the BFP personnel of Iloilo City. Other alternative sources of water used in fire suppression will also be identified and where they can be located. This paper also aims to identify other factors affecting water supply in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. It likewise intends to find out issues and challenges encountered during fire incidents in Iloilo City.

BACKGROUND
When a fire occurs, the fire-fighting service implemented by a public fire department is one of the most important aids for the fire victims. Through strict enforcement of the fire-fighting service, a public fire department can effectively reduce the damage and casualties. That means that the fire-fighting service provided by the public fire department has a very intimate relationship with peoples' lives and property. However, due to the varieties of the foreground situations and the different perspectives of the victims and the fire department, people often have varied assessments about the results of the fire-fighting. This article will focus on the aspect of quality management and the use of the Delphi method in order to lessen the divergence of opinions about the quality of the fire-fighting service between the victims and the firefighters and increase the management effectiveness of the service by formulating a conceptual framework to measure the quality of the fire-fighting service. The researchers have the hope that the divergent opinions and concepts of the people and the firefighters can be reduced by building such a conceptual framework of fire-fighting service quality for a fire department. This conceptual framework can then become the basis of fire-fighting service quality management. Studying the results obtained through the Delphi method, it was found that there are six main dimensional factors in the conceptual framework of fire-fighting service quality for a fire department, including the quick response in the fire-fighting process, understanding the fire ground situations, controlling the fire-fighting resources, dealing with the operations properly, and reducing the damage and casualties of the fire at the same time. With the building of this conceptual framework, the members of the fire departments can enhance the quality of the management of the fire-fighting service and, at the same time, the public will be satisfied with the better protection provided by the fire departments.
Provision for fire protection shall comply with the requirements of the fire code of the Philippines. Whichever is applicable, the Local Government Unit shall provide each community with fire hydrants and cisterns that are operational at all times (HLURB, 2009).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The group will be using the conceptual framework shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework. The status of water supply that will address the challenges encountered in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City will be studied. The group will identify whether the actual supply of water during fire incidents is in accordance with the standards set by the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9514 or the fire code of Philippines, National Fire Protection Association and best practices of other areas/ countries. If there are deviations identified, the group will make recommendations based on their findings.

METHODOLOGY
This is a descriptive study focusing on how to address the supply of water in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City.
The purpose of this paper further aims to determine the status of water supply that will address the challenges encountered in cases of fire incidents in Iloilo City. It further aims to determine the status (i.e. number and functionality) of existing fire hydrants in Iloilo City. Other alternative sources of water used for fire suppression will also be identified.
The researchers will gather data by conducting interviews and round table discussions with BFP personnel and by mapping out the location of the different fire hydrants and other water sources in Iloilo City. The group will also conduct actual ocular inspection and testing of all fire hydrants in Iloilo City in coordination with the key personnel of Iloilo City Fire Department. Existing fire hydrants will be categorized based on their functionality.
The group will also identify and locate all alternative water sources in the City of Iloilo in coordination with the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD). Secondary data will also be gathered from related literature about best practices in order to address the issue on water supply during fire incidents. The group will benchmark or base their guidelines on the standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and in accordance with the Comprehensive Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008 (R.A. 9514) about water supply during fire incidents.
Purposive interview will also be conducted through focus group discussion in the different districts of Iloilo City with 10 interviewees representing the community. Technical persons from the Bureau of Fire Protection in Iloilo City will also be invited for a focus group discussion and tackle issues encountered during fire incidents.
After gathering all the data and information, the group will process and evaluate the records and determine the deviation. The group will then make recommendations based on the findings that they discovered.