TaRSIER 117

Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response 117

Short for Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response 117, TaRSIER 117 is Bohol's response to RA 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010. Created through Executive Order No. 7-A and launched on March 25,2011, TaRSIER 117 is part of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, which deals with concerns on public service and maintenance of peace and order, including the immediate provision of aid and assistance to victims of natural or manmade calamities. The said Council is chaired by the provincial governor himself, Atty. Edgar M. Chatto.

With its main nerve center located at the Governor's Mansion, the TaRSIER 117 has direct links with response units from the local and mational agencies, and has forged partnerships with various private sector and volunteer organizations. TaRSIER 117 is mainly coordinative. Though, it has an Emergency Response Unit with a ready ambulance, on standby 24/7, as with the Rescue and Retrieval Team, the whole TaRSIER 117 can, for that matter, it is mainly a call and command center that receives calls and dispatches the appropriate response to any emergency wherever in the province. TaRSIER 117 facilitates for police and fire assistance, medical emergencies, and even weather monitoring.

Currently, the TaRSIER has three units: (1) Communications Unit, which handles incoming calls and dispatches or contacts the appropriate agency to respond to any emergency; (2) Emergency Medical Unit, which, equipped with an ambulance and personnel trained in emergency primary care, responds to medical emergencies within its area of responsibility; and the (3) Rescue and Retrieval Team, that which responds to search, rescue and retrieval or evacuation incidents. They are constantly upgrading to give better services. The team also gives technical trainings to other quick response units.

Dial 117 and save lives!