The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has deployed to key ports nationwide emergency response vehicles (ERVs) that its personnel will use in firefighting, rescue and other emergency operation.

“In an emergency, every minute matters. These emergency response vehicles give our port personnel another important layer of protection and response capability. We want our ports to be prepared to act immediately while coordinating with the proper emergency response agencies,” PPA general manager Jay Santiago said on Wednesday.

Fifteen ERVs will be deployed to select port management offices and terminal management offices, strengthening PPA’s ability to respond to incidents within port premises while coordinating with emergency response agencies.