An emergency is always definitely a race against time. A
few minutes of delayed response could mean the loss of lives
and/or property. It is standard protocol that all local
government units have police cars, fire trucks and ambulances
equipped with sirens and blinkers to respond to emergency
situations. What sets the city of Marikina apart from all
others is the sign posted on all of its emergency vehicles
stating: “If this unit fails to reach you within 5
minutes upon call for assistance, report to Mayor BF, at
tel. no. 646-1634.” This self-imposed time of five
minutes is designed to successfully address the need for
quick response in times of emergency. It covers three basic
emergency rescue services, namely fire fighting, police
and ambulance services. To carry out the program, the city
government has established a Public Safety Command Center,
otherwise known as RESCUE 161, at the back of the City Hall.
To ensure the integrity of reports and compliance, all calls
for assistance are timed and logged-in.
Two to three years ago, the average response time
of police, fire and ambulance rescue within the city was
anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes. At present, the average
response time of local operatives is between 2 to 5 minutes.
In 1998, RESCUE 161 responded to a total of 3,384 calls
for emergency assistance, an average of 9.27 responses daily.
These figures show an increase of 121% over the 1997 figures
of 1,533 and 4.02 responses, respectively. Even the 98%
crime solution efficiency of the Marikina Police is partly
attributed to the program. Other components of the program
are the following: Non-emergency Medical Transfers (transport
of non-emergency patients from house to hospital, hospital
to house and house to house) and Midnight Doctors (extension
of medical service to non-emergency patients at his/her
residence between 9 PM to 5 AM on a per need basis). With
these emergency assistance programs, there is now a great
sense of public security in Marikina, knowing that the city
government is always ready to protect the lives and properties
of its people.
