City of Biñan launches new emergency call center
The city government of Biñan recently launched its own call center to efficiently respond to emergency calls.
The call center established under the leadership of Mayor Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila, Jr. is located inside the newly built Biñan City Command Control and Communication Center, located in front of the city hall. Initially manned by six call center agents, Mayor Dimaguila said the center is available 24 hours a day to receive calls for situations requiring immediate assistance from police and fire departments and rescue teams.
The call center is fully equipped with the most advanced telephone switching and radio equipment and a computer-aided dispatch application system. Once an agent receives a call, he will ask for pertinent information such as the caller’s name, address and the type of emergency, and will immediately relay the details to the responding police, fire or emergency unit personnel.
The mayor said the goal is to respond to an emergency within three minutes, adding that the agents can further assist callers by giving them instructions on how to administer life-saving techniques such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
“The city government of Biñan takes serving its citizens seriously. And we know that when it comes to emergency situations, even seconds can be a matter of life and death,” Mayor Dimaguila said. “The call center is very vital for the services of the people. Its establishment will greatly help the community since it will provide lifesaving services.”
In line with the establishment of the call center, the city of Biñan has activated its own emergency hotlines: (0908) 891-9711 (Smart), (0917) 120-8911 (Globe), (049) 5139111 (Intelco) and (049) 523-5911 (PLDT).
Residents can also download the free Android app, “Biñan 911” to easily access and dial the city’s emergency call numbers.
Mayor Dimaguila said the launching of the new call center and the activation of the hotlines complete the full roll-out of the city’s emergency services capability upgrade.
Biñan City earlier unveiled its new modern Command Control and Communication Center to boost its crime-fighting capability and provide a more efficient emergency response.
The command center is managed by officials of the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) and composed of law and traffic enforcers as well as emergency and disaster unit personnel.
The city government has poured in P6 million to acquire and install the state-ofthe-art equipment and technologies for the command center, which is now fully operational.
Mayor Dimaguila said the command center will improve not only the city’s crimewatch and prevention mechanisms, but also its response capabilities during disaster and other emergency situations.
He said it will also enhance the vehicular traffic monitoring.
About 96 security cameras have been installed all over Biñan to complement the city’s new emergency response system.
Mayor Dimaguila said these surveillance cameras, which are linked and connected to the command center, will provide the city government with real-time data on traffic, crime and emergency situations.
To further boost monitoring of the city and coordinating responses to incidents, 12 emergency mobile substations manned by policemen and POSO duty officers have been placed at strategic locations in barangays Canlalay, Dela Paz, San Francisco, San Antonio, Platero, Malaban, Casile, SoroSoro, Mamplasan, Santo Tomas, Langkiwa and Timbao.
The mayor said each substation has its own patrol vehicle, mini fire truck and motorcycle, as well as communication equipment linked to the new Biñan call center.
“We will continue to improve and integrate our command and control systems so that we can build a consolidated situation picture to help our ground and frontline officers to respond more quickly, precisely and effectively,” he said.