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Read Part 2: 'How the BFP is trying to plug resource shortages blamed on corruption'
Firefighters battle a blaze that hit a warehouse building in Balut, Tondo in Manila on August 9, 2024. 18 fire volunteers sustained injuries, suffering 1st to 2nd degree burns on different parts of the body. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — Erwin Ong, 48, has spent 30 years as a volunteer firefighter in Manila, running to fire scenes and saving lives while expecting nothing but a “thank you” in return.
In fire suppression operations, volunteer firefighters work alongside those from the Bureau of Fire Protection, but with no salary, stipend or other rewards, and even at their own expense.
“Pag fire volunteer, kailangan nasa puso mo eh kasi kawanggawa nga po iyan,” he told ABS-CBN News.
(Being a fire volunteer should be in your heart because it is charity work.)
He said fire volunteers do not expect or accept rewards.
“'Thank you’ lang po, okay na. Pakainin kami, magbigay ng sandwich minsan sa sunog, nakakataba na ng puso,” Ong said.
(A ‘thank you’ is enough. Giving us food during operation is already heartwarming.)
He serves as the driver-pump operator and officer-in-charge for operations of the 28-member Gandara Volunteer Fire Brigade, affiliated with the bigger Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Firefighters of the Philippines, Inc.
Ong juggles his volunteer work with his full-time job as a car parts agent.
Volunteering has never been easy, especially for a father who feeds a family and with a child still in school, he said.
But service comes naturally to him, shaped by his father, who established and led a fire association, and his two siblings with whom he volunteered before.
He considers himself lucky to be surrounded by fellow fire volunteers at work, including his boss, who heads another fire organization in Manila.
“Nagpapaalam ako kapag nasa office ako. Nagpapaalam ako sa boss ko, ‘May sunog po.' ‘O sige alis ka na’, alam na nila yan,” he said.
(I let them know when I am at the office. I tell my boss, ‘There is a fire incident.’ ‘You can go,’ so they get it.)
SELF-SUSTAINED
Gandara Volunteer Fire Brigade responds to a fire incident in Manila on July 28. Photo courtesy of Gandara Volunteer Fire BrigadeVolunteer fire brigades generally self-finance the purchase of equipment and tools and their daily maintenance.
Ong said he is grateful that Gandara’s president supports them in several ways, including providing full sets of firefighter suits shared among members.
Some also purchase their personal and named set, especially with the BFP now requiring named suits for those who enter houses during operations.
This comes in light of some fire volunteers' alleged looting of victims.
Volunteers with unnamed suits can only support from outside, Ong said.
A full set, including a self-contained breathing apparatus, costs no less than P25,000, said Ong, who proudly showed his second-hand traditional helmet that costs P15,000 alone.
The fire brigade's members are insured, while the organization also pays for medication bills in case a volunteer is injured during fire suppression operations.
Fire volunteer sugatan sa sunog sa residential area sa Caloocan
Ong shared that they also at times receive benefits from companies and non-government organizations, including free health checkups.
While Gandara receives support from organizations, Huvud Volunteer Fire Prevention Association meanwhile survives solely on funds from its president and members.
The volunteer group, led by Fire Chief Rodolfo Tecson Jr., refuses to accept money from “people they don’t know.”
“Ginagawa na lang namin, ‘Sige po ma'am. Kung gusto niyo pong mag-donate, punta kayo sa office kahit pagkain na lang po,’” Tecson said.
(We tell them, ‘If you want to donate, you can go to our office and send food.)
Huvud requires its members to have their own personal protective equipment, radio, helmet, boots and more, shelled out of their own pockets.
They also have to shoulder the cost of medical care in case of injuries, with the president reimbursing them after.
“Pag talagang once na yung puso ng volunteering nasa iyo, sariling gastos, 'di mo na binibilangin. Basta masaya ka lang.”
(Once volunteering is in your heart, your personal expenses will not matter. You find joy in it.)
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Huvud distributes relief goods to victims of the Taal Volcano eruption in Cavite in 2020. Photo courtesy of Rodolfo Tecson Jr.
Diesel and maintenance for three trucks are among the association’s biggest expenses.
Unlike before, the association now only usually responds to fires within its area of responsibility, with Tecson citing the lack of personnel and soaring fuel prices.
Still, the volunteer organization responds to fire incidents nearly every day.
Asked about the challenges they face in volunteer work, Tecson only expressed gratitude for the continuing support of their president despite his advanced age.
He said he hopes the support continues even when their president’s family takes over the management.
TRAINING
Aspiring fire volunteers are required to undergo BFP-facilitated training and competency evaluation before being given regular status.
In Huvud, probationary members’ training was extended from the initial one year to two years to strengthen members’ commitment to volunteerism.
“Sa amin, gusto namin talagang dedicated, may spirit siya ng volunteerism. Kasi yun ang importante kasi wala naman kami talagang sahod,” Tecson said.
(We want members who are genuinely dedicated and have the spirit of volunteerism. That is the most important as we are not paid here.)
It also requires members to have full-time jobs to ensure their families are not neglected while doing volunteer work, said Tecson, a government employee.
Quezon City, where Huvud is located, provides volunteers with free training.
WORK WITH BFP
The BFP said it recognizes volunteer fire brigades’ role in promoting fire safety and continuously supports them with training, competency evaluation, fire safety education, seminars, technical guidance, and operational coordination.
Part of it is a refresher course volunteers are required to take every two years, costing P1,500 per individual, according to Tecson.
He said training used to cost a lot more, when they were undergoing full training in several areas, including smoke diving, rappelling and others.
Volunteer fire brigades also renew their accreditation with the BFP every two years, costing around P5,000.
The BFP recorded 4,296 fire brigades or volunteer organizations nationwide as of the third quarter of 2026, with the most being in Central Luzon at 764.
Metro Manila and Bicol Region follow at 598 and 555, respectively.
Aside from being first responders, fire volunteers also assist in firefighting, evacuation and other necessary tasks, as per the revised Fire Code of the Philippines.
The BFP earlier said its personnel and equipment are far below the standard ratio to population.
The fire bureau said it has 2,997 fire trucks, 1,181 short of the 4,178 trucks needed to meet the standard truck-to-population ratio of 1:28,000, according to BFP Chief Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu.
Of the 1,493 municipalities in the Philippines, 106 have no trucks and 61 do not have fire stations.
BFP spokesperson Anthony Arroyo said the annual additional personnel of 2,000 are also not enough to augment the resource gap.
These issues come as the bureau faces several corruption allegations in procurement, recruitment, promotions and others.
Ex-BFP chief pleads not guilty to graft over alleged P4-M bribes
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