Small town goes big time with next-gen 911 hotline

MANILA, Philippines — A third-class municipality in Mindanao is now among the first responders to the use of cutting-edge, world-class emergency response system in the country.

Mambajao, the capital of Camiguin Island, recently activated its local 911 emergency hotline as it prepares for the influx of tourists for the upcoming summer season, becoming the first town in Northern Mindanao that could respond to distress calls in unprecedented speed.

The technology was provided by NGA 911 Philippines, the local subsidiary of California-based NGA 911, the global leader in emergency calling technology.

Mambajao joins Morong, Rizal; Alaminos City, Pangasinan; Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro City and soon, Navotas City in Metro Manila and Bustos, Bulacan as LGUs already equipped with the world-class emergency response system.

The first next-gen 911-enabled command center in the Northern Mindanao region can now respond to emergencies swiftly and accurately, thanks to the cutting-edge, world-class emergency response system that can pinpoint locations accurately. All calls in Mambajao are now routed directly to the command center and picked up by responders in seconds. Response time at the place of call has been reduced to just three to five or seven minutes.

More advanced features of the next-gen emergency system will be provided in the next few months. These are caller’s location, the ability to send photos and videos through the system, CCTV interoperability and auto transcription that converts recorded or live audio into text within minutes – all actionable data gathered by the system to better serve the community.

“NGA technology can ingress various types of available systems or applications and integrate them with local government’s CCTV systems that will provide front liners and first responders with enhanced location and situational awareness. We can also integrate with instant messaging applications and provide an omnichannel queue,” said NGA 911 Philippines country head Robert Llaguno.