DAVAO City’s Central 911 won an award in the Gawad KALASAG Seal and Special Awards for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance 2022.
The Central 911 was awarded as the Best Government Emergency Management Systems and Response Teams (GEMs) and received P300,000 on December 7, 2022, at the Manila Hotel, Manila.
Founded 20 years ago, Davao City’s Central 911 serves as the “frontline office for emergency and disaster response of Davao City.”
In a previous statement, the city said, "Central 911 has provided Dabawenyos with a free emergency response system, hospital emergency care, rescue service, and fire suppression service in the past 20 years."
Central 911 was formally launched on September 27, 2002, as a product of a collaborative undertaking between the Davao Light and Power Company and the City Government of Davao, in a bid to minimize the increasing crime incidents in the City.
Initially, Central 911 started as a street lighting project, which featured a Geographic Information System that aimed to improve the existing lighting facilities, as well as address the growing crime rate then. Eventually, Central 911 evolved into a centralized and integrated system that links the residents (needing assistance) to the nearest emergency responders.
Davao City Central 911 is now equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and advanced resource equipment and tools, which are manned by highly trained and competent personnel from units that serve various emergency needs and concerns.
It takes pride as the first of its kind in Asia and third in the world after the United States and Canada. All the services of Central 911 are completely free of charge.
Central 911 is composed of the following operational units: Emergency Calls Answering Point and Dispatch (ECAP-D), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Fire Auxiliary Services (FAS), and K-9 Unit.
Meanwhile, Davao City was also recognized as one of 436 Fully Compliant Local Government Units Awardees in the Philippines, including the five provinces in the Davao Region.
In Davao del Norte, there are four cities and municipality awardees – Tagum City, Carmen, Kapalong, and the Island Garden City of Samal. While in Davao Oriental, Mati City, Boston, Baganga, Governor Generoso, and Tarragona were recipients of the award.
In Davao del Sur, Digos City, Kiblawan, and Sulop were among the awardees. In Davao de Oro, the same award was given to Compostela, Montevista, Maragusan, Nabunturan, Monkayo and Laak. Don Marcelino was the lone awardee for the Fully Compliant Local Government Units Award in Davao Occidental.
Among the 135 Beyond Compliant are Lupon and Banaybanay in Davao Oriental and New Bataan and Mawab in Davao de Oro.
Gawad KALASAG is a government search for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance which “served as the country’s recognition and award scheme for various stakeholders who promote and implement disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation and humanitarian assistance programs that protect and shield high-risk communities against extreme hazards and render them more capable of addressing their vulnerabilities.” KSD with reports from DAVAO-CIO