DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 14 November) – The City Council of Davao approved on second reading Thursday an ordinance establishing a new system that will allow the City Central 911 Command Center to locate callers needing help through the global positioning system or GPS during emergencies and disasters.
In an interview with reporters, First District Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, chair of the committee on information technology and proponent of the ordinance, said the new system will enable responders to reach callers’ locations without getting lost through real-time GPS tracking.
Once passed, the ordinance will be known as the “Davao Smart Emergency Response and Locator System-Computerized Response and Emergency Dispatch or SERAL-CARED,” which aims to reduce emergency response time, enhance incident tracking, and integrate geo-mapping and digital routing systems into city-wide emergency services.
The ordinance aims to “introduce a GPS-enabled, geospatially integrated, and digitally coordinated platform for faster, more efficient dispatch and accurate caller location tracking,” Militar said.
He said the system will also help reduce the number of prank calls received by Central 911, as responders would be able to track the callers’ locations. The office receives an average of about 1,000 calls per day,
Rodolfo Encabo, assistant head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said the SERAL-CARED would significantly enhance the services of Central 911 and their agency by cutting response time from 15 minutes to just 5 minutes.
He said ambulances and fire trucks, for instance, often have difficulty locating callers through the streets, but with the system, responders would be able to pinpoint their exact locations.
“To enhance it, we are expanding it through the internet. For example, with a tablet, as soon as a caller requests assistance, we can already determine their location, so it is immediately mapped out,” he said.
A mobile emergency application will be created for Dabawenyos, featuring emergency alerts, GPS-based auto-location, image and video upload, and silent messaging, as outlined in section 6 of the proposed ordinance.
It states that the SERAL-CARED system would include GPS-based caller location tracking, integrated into the 911 system for real-time location display, as well as geospatial mapping of barangays, access roads, high-risk areas, and information settlements.
The proposed measure will also require the establishment of a barangay geo-tagging registry, which is a detailed digital inventory of interior paths, structures, and landmarks.
He added that the system will include responder GPS tracking to monitor the real-time locations of ambulances, fire trucks, and field personnel.
To safeguard the personal data of all users and ensure the ethical and lawful handling of sensitive information collected through the SERAL-CARED, section 7 provides that “all personal and geolocation data collected through the system shall only be retained for the minimum period necessary to fulfill its intended purpose and shall be securely disposed of thereafter.”
It also assured users that “access to sensitive personal data collected through the system shall be strictly limited to authorized personnel of the CDRRMO, 911 Command Center, City Information Technology, and other emergency units directly involved in the response.”
“Unauthorized disclosure or use of this data shall result in administrative, civil, or criminal liability,” it said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
