911 hotline proposed for Cebu City alarms

An integrated emergency call system similar to the 911 in the United States will hopefully be put up in Cebu City.

Calls made through an emergency three digit number will be handled by a  telephone operator who will  connect the call to  government agencies or volunteer groups for  immediate response.

Medical emergencies, for example, will be transmitted to the Emergency Response Unit Foundation (Eruf) or the Basak Pardo Emergency Response (Bper). The Eruf representative  taking the call may also give instructions to the caller on how the handle the medical case while waiting for responders to arrive.

Alvin Santillana, operations head of the Cebu City Risk Reduction Management (CCRRM), said he will present this  plan to the City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council tomorrow.

The approval of the disaster council, which is chaired by Mayor Michael Rama, will allow the use of P30 million from the city’s disaster fund to bankroll the call system.

“We’re way behind  other local government units  in setting this up. Cebu City needs this program because we are a booming city and crime incidence is high,” Santillana told Cebu Daily News.

Following the 2012 earthquake scare, Mayor Rama ordered the establishment of a disaster command center in the city to respond quickly to natural and man-made disasters.

Santillana said it took him time to draft the plan since he had to  canvass equipment and learn from  models of other cities like  Taguig, Makati  and Davao.

“We are developing a system based on what Cebu really needs,” he said.

Funding is another concern and how to tap the city’s standby disaster funds.

An  initial funding of P30 million is needed to start the program this year.

Of this, P10 million will be spent to expand  the city disaster office near the SRP access road in Mambaling for use as command center. The  P20 million will be spent to buy facilities there and closed circuit TVs to be  installed on major roads  and intersections and crime-prone areas like downtown Cebu City.

Santillana said that additional funding will have to be appropriated later as  the system is built up.

“We have to also keep improving our communication and monitoring system to better serve the city’s peace and order and emergency needs,” he said.

Command center

Phase I or setting up  a command center will start in March. Actual operation is will start  before the year ends, “provided there are no  hindrances especially in the equipment procurement and in the implementation of the project design plan.”

Santillana said this  system will not abolish the Mobile Alarm Response System (MARS) created during the past administration of former mayor and now south district representative Tomas Osmeña.

Instead, this will augment MARS  which is operated by sending alarms through text messages to concerned agencies of volunteers groups in case of emergency. They also use Mars to send weather advisories among others including to some media organization.

Santillana said five consoles at the command center  will connect the fire department, Cebu City Police Office, CITOM, the  city disaster office and emergency medical service providers like Eruf and Bper.

He said that they  have a pending application with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to use “911” as the city’s emergency response number with an option to use  “117” or nother three-digit number designated by NTC.

Two operators per shift will mand the consoles.

Calls made to the emergency number will be recieved by an operator who will refer it to concerned government agencies or volunteer groups.

The plan includes a large video monitor at the command center to track  the movement of emergency responders.

The command center  will be able to guide fire men to locate the best roads to penetrate a fire scene using the Geographic Information System (GIS), “unlike today where we navigate using our imagination.”

It can also advise Citom which roads are congested and need traffic enforcers.

“As we go along, we can also send advisories to motorists about which roads have heavy traffic and what  are available diversion roads through the Internet,” he said. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters