Call 911: Heroes in a flash

A historic event took place more than a week ago at the PLDT office in Sampaloc, Manila. Secretary Jonvic Remulla of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez, Bureau of Fire Protection chief Jesus Ramirez, Don Fergusson, founder and CEO of NGA (Next Generation Advanced) 911 and NGA co-founder Mike Amos rolled out the country's Unified 911, a nationwide E911 system which will give Filipinos greater peace of mind in emergency situations.

With the rollout of the Unified 911, the country now has a single reliable hotline for police, fire, medical, and disaster emergencies. This gives Filipinos faster and improved access to life-saving services. By dialing 911 from anywhere, calls can be traced in seconds, and first responders dispatched within three to five minutes because the new system can pinpoint their exact location.

Pangilinan said PLDT and Smart are in full support of the project as he and other guests made a tour of the command center of NGA 911 at the PLDT building.

Soon, Filipinos need not save a long list of telephone and cellphone numbers of barangays and hotlines of various cities and towns, and remember only one number, 911.

The system is now in operation in parts of Metro Manila, Morong, Rizal (the first LGU to adopt the system), Alaminos City in Pangasinan, Bustos in Bulacan, Cagayan de Oro City, Cebu City, and Mambajao in Camiguin. The target, according to Secretary Remulla, is 1,500 LGUs and 40,000 barangays in the near future.

NGA 911 Philippines works with local government units (LGUs) to integrate NGA 911 technology to enhance emergency response. This modernization includes messaging-app-based calls, multimedia capabilities like photos and videos, advanced caller location accuracy, and faster call routing and data sharing to improve efficiency and coordination in emergencies.

The Unified 911 is a joint initiative of the DILG, BFP, ePLDT, NGCS Inc., and NGA 911 Philippines, the local arm of US-based NGA 911 LLC. It introduces next-generation emergency communications technology already proven in the United States and Europe.

For the joint project, NGA has brought to the Philippines an advanced emergency communications system that can provide faster and more accurate emergency responses to people in need. It is the same technology used in the United States and Europe that has proven to be a game-changer in emergency communications.

In a round table discussion, Ferguson said the system “will help the DILG save more lives and empower more communities now that all systems have been unified into one nationwide system. It will be a crime deterrent,” he added.

The technology is a true cloud-based NG 9-1-1 solution operating on the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Cloud Platform and uses a robust and resilient Internet Protocol (IP) backbone that has replaced the decades-old 911 infrastructure to turn emergency communication into Next Generation 911.

Launched last 11 September, in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive under Bagong Pilipinas, DILG Secretary Remulla mentioned that the system shall integrate around 30 fragmented local hotlines into one universal number: 911.

In the meantime, Amos said 911 will be of great help to motorists in distress. They just have to dial 911, and assistance or rescue can be dispatched immediately. He also said foreigners can use 911 in case of an emergency.

The PNP has good news to share about its current emergency response capabilities. Thanks to the next-generation advanced public safety technology installed at its Command Center last August.

According to Police Brigadier General Warren Tolito, director of the PNP Communications and Electronics Service (CES), 91.04 percent of all emergency calls made to its command center are now being attended to in less than five minutes, with an average of 3.1 minutes response per call, both in the metro and in provincial areas.

The game-changing approach to emergency response is a direct result of the DILG Revitalized Emergency 911Project that calls for immediate and accurate reaction to emergency calls from citizens and LGUs.

The majority of the emergency calls stem from vehicular accidents, domestic violence, public disturbance, individuals running amok, theft and robbery, Tolito revealed.

Tolito also mentioned interesting cases of rescues made in the nick of time, like a woman about to jump off a bridge in Batasan Hills who was pulled to safety by the PNP operatives, an abandoned newborn in an ecobag found in a vacant lot in Cabuyao, Laguna, that was brought to the hospital just in time to save his life, and the thwarted hijacking of a tanker filled with goods because of swift relay messages between operatives from the scene of the crime in Caloocan to the place of apprehension in Obando, Bulacan.

Ferguson is optimistic about the success of the system because of the leadership support of President Marcos through DILG, technology, and comprehensive training of personnel.