BFP-Davao warns against buying substandard Christmas lights
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 October) – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Davao City has cautioned Dabawenyos against buying cheap but substandard Christmas lights to avoid fire incidents during the holidays.
SFO4 Ramil E. Gillado, concurrent chief intelligence and investigation section of Davao City Fire District, on Friday urged consumers to only get Christmas lights with genuine Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers.
He said these stickers warrant that the items have already complied with the requirements of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
He added that substandard Christmas lights caused some major fire incidents in the previous Christmas celebrations.
To lessen the risk of fire, he said fire safety inspectors monitor even the installation of Christmas lights in the establishments.
Gillado urged Dabawenyos not to fall prey to cheap Christmas lights sold in the local markets, as they are most likely made of low-quality materials and are non-compliant with the product standards of the DTI.
“If you look at the price, you may wonder why it’s too cheap. If it is cheap, we may say that the quality of the materials has been compromised because if you are a businessman, you will not sell your products at a low price when you are spending more for your capital. If the price is low, so is the quality of the product,” he said.
He told shoppers not to buy Christmas lights that are made of thin wires with loose plugs because they can overheat easily or cause short circuits, and subsequently, fires.
He added the thickness of wires must not be less than 1.5 mm.
He also cautioned against reusing old Christmas lights.
Deolly L. Roque, chief of DTI-Davao’s Regional Consumer Protection Division, said the agency has started monitoring local establishments selling Christmas lights in the region.
She said Christmas lights without ICC or PS markings are very hazardous because they do not undergo product testing and can cause fire.
“Aside from monitoring, we do massive orientation for our consumers. They have to be familiarized by making sure they only have Christmas lights with ICC or PS markings,” she said.
She said the agency would deploy more consumer protection personnel to undertake frequent monitoring activities at the establishments which would include other electrical appliances. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
No comments:
Post a Comment