REAL ESATE LAWS AND REFERENCES 4.4

Electrical misuse is No. 1 cause of fires in Cebu City

BEWARE of “octopus” connections, substandard Christmas lights and cooking fires that go unattended.

These are some of the reminders of the Bureau of Fire Penology (BFP) in Cebu City in its daily visits to barangays.

In mid-October, Cebu City Fire Marshall Aderson Comar and the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) launched the fire safety inspectors’ barangay visitation program.

Handouts remind residents about common causes of fire—throwing lighted cigarette butts, unattended cooking, children playing with matches or lighters, electrical misuse, gas leaks, bonfires and arson.

Comar said electrical misuse tops the list (103 cases) followed by unattended cooking (26) in Cebu City cases from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30.

Two deaths were recorded and property damage reached P15.4 million.

“This is mostly because of illegal connections and the use of octopus wires,” Comar told Cebu Daily News.

An octopus electrical connection involves plugging several devices to a wall socket. This also refers to an extension cord with multiple outlets.

This poses overheating or an electrical overload.

Fire incidents increased during the last quarter of the year because of the use of Christmas lights, said Comar.

“Christmas lights especially substandard products are dangerous because these can causefire,” said Ethel Natera, Veco corporate communications manager.

Each of the city’s nine fire substations has one fire safety inspection team composed of a firefighter and Veco personnel.

Escorted by barangay officials, the inspection team visits barangays and devotes at least an hour each day to encourage residents to adopt fire safety measures.

They remind residents to prevent their children from playing with matches and candles as well as do away with the use of octopus wiring.

Veco staff also extend free service to residents who want their electrical connections checked.

“Our barangay campaigns are proven effective because it increased people’s awareness especially on the causes of fire,” said Comar.

He said residents have also learned not to panic and to immediately call the nearest fire substation for assistance in case of fire.

With the Cebuanos’ increased awareness, Comar said firefighters are also able to respond to fire alarms in less than seven minutes, which is the standard emergency response time in the country.

Illegal Connections

According to Veco, illegal connections are the most common causes of fire especially in thickly populated areas.

Unauthorized connections are normally done using “bare wires” and without any protective devices.

Illegal connections tend to overload the supply line thereby causing power tripping and interruption.

Overloading also causes power voltage to drop. Overvoltage or undervoltage is one cause of damaging appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners and television sets.

Illegal connection is punishable under Republic Act No. 7832 or the Rules and Regulations of the Anti- Pilferage of Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Act of 1994.

Unauthorized electric tapping is tantamount to theft.

The penalty is imprisonment of six to 12 years or a fine ranging from P10, 000 to P20, 000 or both upon the discretion of the court.

Violators will pay the estimated amount of stolen electricity plus a surcharge of up to 100 percent.

Natera said Veco created a revenue protection department in mid-2010 to go after electricity thieves.

Personnel conduct random check on residences especially after they noticed a sudden drop in the occupant’s electric consumption.

Veco is closely coordinating with the local government and the police in the program.

Natera said some consumers resort to illegal tapping to avoid the application cost without realizing the risk they are taking. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters