The Freeman
September 5, 2026 | 12:00am
CEBU, Philippines — The Mandaue City Fire Station of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has trained 17 firefighters in psychological first aid and peer-support skills as part of efforts to strengthen the mental health and wellness of its personnel.
The three-day training, which started Wednesday, September 2, and concluded Friday, September 4, marks the pilot implementation of the Firefighter Wellness and Peer Support Program in Mandaue.
It is the second phase of the program, focusing on equipping fire personnel with peer-facilitator skills. The first phase involved a region-wide mental health awareness workshop conducted last month.
The training is also part of the BFP’s efforts to establish a Kalingang Bumbero Unit at the Mandaue City Fire Station, which will provide a support system for firefighters dealing with work-related and personal challenges.
Mandaue City Deputy Fire Marshal F/INSP Roy A. Kent?lit?sca, speaking on behalf of Fire Marshal FCINSP Alvin A. Torion, said protecting the mental health of firefighters is important because responders also face psychological challenges despite the demands of their job.
“Naa man tay puhon Mental Wellness Hub sa Mandaue City Fire Station which will cater mental wellness and take some rest at the hub,” Kent?lit?sca said in an interview.
He said firefighters respond to different emergencies that can affect their mental well-being, making opportunities to rest and debrief necessary.
“We face different responses, unya gina-challenge gyud among mental health ba. That’s why, it’s time for our responders to rest and debrief. As humans, kailangan nato ni,” he said.
Kent?lit?sca also noted that physical strength does not necessarily indicate a person’s mental state.
“Naa tay makit-an nga tao nga strong kaayo, physically fit, but somehow we can never judge nga naa siyay gipagdaanan which needs support,” he said.
He said peer support is particularly important among firefighters because colleagues working in the same environment can better understand the pressures of the job.
“For firefighters, atong kauban, syempre dinha man ta maka-relate. Ang support group need gyud siya,” Kent?lit?sca said.
“That’s why we are having this program to help our firefighters recover from different challenges in life, not necessarily sa ilang family but also sa work,” he added.
Following the training, the 17 firefighters are expected to serve as a peer-support group and apply psychological first-aid skills when assisting fellow personnel.
“We are here to support them, to help them kung unsa among matabang,” Kent?lit?sca said.
The program is being conducted under the mentorship of psychologists Dr. Sherryl Muli-Abellanosa and Dr. Glenn G. Glarino of Kauban Psychological Center Inc.
Glarino said the training aims to strengthen the firefighters’ psychological readiness while also building stronger bonds among personnel.
“If you build bonds and strengthen their psychological aspect of what they got to do, it will really help them,” Glarino said, noting that firefighting is a stressful profession.
He said the participants were equipped with psychological skills that would allow them to listen to colleagues’ concerns, provide appropriate peer support, and recognize situations that require professional psychological intervention.
“We think that when you are tough, we won’t be affected. Sometimes, we may not be crying but tears are deep inside. We may appear not affected but we are,” Glarino said.
Glarino said taking care of the mental health of first responders is also important to their ability to perform their duties and remain fulfilled in their work.
“The worst thing that could happen is that if our frontliners naa silay gihambin nga kakulian, labi na concerning sa ilang stressors,” he said.
Glarino said the BFP Mandaue is expected to establish a regular support group within the next two weeks.
He added that the planned Kalingang Bumbero Unit could eventually extend its services beyond firefighters and provide psychological first aid to members of the community.
With the training, firefighters in Mandaue will not only serve as first responders during emergencies but could also become “second responders” by providing basic psychological first aid when appropriate. (CEBU NEWS)
