Chief Insp. Nilo Pacifico: The Pyro Man
NILO PACIFICO
The history of fire can be dated back to the Paleolithic era. Its origin was a spark emitted from friction caused by two stones that were repeatedly and rapidly rubbed against each other. It has been a source of heat and light for the Neanderthal Man. Ancient people considered fire as sacred. Greeks used to bow down to worship Hephaestus, the god of fire and forge. Hindus, on the other hand, offered foods, dances, and praises to the Agni, the god of fire, who was classified as one of the most important Vedic Gods.
Today, the importance of fire is enormous. Households need fire for the procurement of foods. Industries like that of steel make use of fire, if not of its end product that is heat. Fire can be detrimental as well. Its by-product carbon is hazardous to our health. The chlorofluorocarbon coming from a burnt plastic thins the ozone layer. And of course, fire accidents have been a contributor to the mortality and morbidity rates of humans.
Have you imagined life without firemen? Do you think that a pail of water can prevent a massive fire to turn your dream house into ashes? Firemen are indeed heroes. If you have watched the movie Ladder 49 then maybe you know what I mean.
The life of a fire respondent has never been easy especially for a City Fire Marshall like Chief Inspector Nilo Pacifico. Though his name implies the largest body of water, this man is pyrophilic.
Nilo was born in the small village of Monpon in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo last July 10, 1961. Emulating his father who was a soldier, he dreamed of becoming a policeman. After he finished his secondary education at Scared Heart Academy in Zarraga, he decided to take up Criminology at the University of Iloilo. While pursuing his studies, he was forced to transfer to Aklan due to financial instability. He stayed with his brother who was a soldier in Kalibo. His hardships paid off when he graduated as a policeman at North Western Visayas Colleges.
Opportunity was scant that time. While waiting for any opening in the police force, he worked as a construction worker. Convinced by his brother with a promise to help him join the PNP, Nilo entered the fire brigade as a nozzleman in 1984.
He took a four-month Basic Course Training in Bacolod in 1985.
In 1987 he was tranferred to Passi. While in Passi, Nilo's heart was captured by a lady from Sta. Barbara named Merly who was working at the health center. It was not that long when Nilo and Merly settled to make a family.
Time came when the moment he waited knocked on his door. He was asked to join the PNP but it was too late. He was so attached to his work that he declined the offer.
It was in 1992 when Nilo was assigned to be the Municipal Fire Marshall of the Dueñas Fire Station. He spent 14 good long years responding to different fire accidents.
After completing several trainings like the Rank Training, the three-months Fire Arson Investigation and Inspection Course, Officers' Candidate Course, and the two-months Supervisory Course at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba, Laguna, he was assigned as the City Fire Marshall of Iloilo Bureau of Fire Protection last November of 2005.
City Fire Marshall NiloPacifico with
his men.
The first five months of his duty served as an adjustment period. "I had a hard time adjusting. There was an increase in workload, responsibility, and working time. But as of now I can say that I'm 90% adjusted," Pacifico humbly admitted.
As a Marshall, he is required a 24-hour duty. In relation to that, some sacrifices had to be made. He barely had enough time for his wife and three kids who were left in Passi. His office, a square room equipped with a couch and table, instantly transforms as a bed room after sunset. His only time to visit his family is during weekends after his Masters class at ISCOF in Barotac Nuevo.
"Being a City Fire Marshall, I am in charge of the implementation of Presidential Decree 1185 - our bible, which is the Fire Code of the Philippines and of Local Government Code 6975 Section 50. Also, of the filing of cases of arson," he further explained.
He stated that whether it is Fire Prevention Month or not, his team are always prepared. The City Central Station has six personnel that goes into three shifting hours. The seven fire trucks were distributed throughout the district including Jaro, La Paz, Bo. Obrero, Mandurriao, Molo, and Arevalo.
Pacifico pointed out that there are high incidence of fire incidents in the months of March and December according to the latest statistics. The most common cause, according to him, are electrical short circuits.
"The electrical system should be properly checked. Make sure that there are no octopus connections. System overloads imposes danger once the insulation heats up. Make it a habit to let a licensed electrician periodically check your outlets so that we can prevent fire," the man who believes that pounds of prevention are better than cure explained.
Pacifico leads by example. Sometimes he would sweep the floor and clean the office so that his subordinates will follow.
According to Chief Insp. Nilo Pacifico, here are the basic things to do prior to or during fire incidents: prepare water, secure at least one unit of fire extinguisher, wake up your family members, run to the nearest exit, and call for help. The Bureau of Fire Protection Hotline is 16000 or call these local numbers for assistance - 337-3011 and 337-4989.
"We always have hard time in penetrating the streets during huge fire cases since the residents are piling their appliances on the streets leaving us little access," Pacifico added.
The Iloilo City Bureau of Fire Protection will hold a Fire Olympics on March 29 and 30, 2006 at the Iloilo City Fire Station. This is in relation to the celebration of the Presidential Proclamation Number 115-A or the Fire Prevention Month. This year's theme is "Pamayanan sama-sama laban sa sunog." The different substations in Iloilo together with the Central Station will compete against each other for the two-day affair. Each team will be composed of 10 members and will be given 30 minutes to efficiently complete the sequence of receiving a call, setting the alarm, dressing up, and mounting the fire truck. This will serve as a refresher to the firemen to further hone their skills in rescue and firefighting operations.
It's not that easy to wake up and dress up alertly in the middle of the night while everybody is having a good night's sleep. It's not-so-ordinary to call a war against the unpredictable burning flame. That is why Chief Inspector Nilo Pacifico is no ordinary man and so are all the firemen.