FAQs on Emergency Services

The Institute engages Lifeline Rescue, a third party contractor, to provide Emergency Services. The
following are some of the frequently asked questions about Emergency Services:

What numbers should be called in case of an emergency?

The hotlines for Emergency Services are extension 2222 and 09189234798. We highly encourage you
to save these hotline numbers on your cell phone as “Emergency Services" with the cell number as
default contact.

The emergency hotlines should also be posted conspicuously near telephones.

What types of emergencies would Emergency Services respond to?

Emergencies include medical, security, fires, and natural disasters.

What numbers should be called if an accident is witnessed or if someone becomes ill and
requires medical assistance?

Call Emergency Services at 2222 or 09189234798. Call-takers would relay initial medical instructions
based on information given by the caller. Simultaneously, ambulance with emergency medical technicians
would be dispatched to the incident scene, assisted by security personnel for crowd and vehicular traffic
control if needed.

What numbers should be called if a suspected intruder is observed within IRRI

premises?

Call Emergency Services at 2222 or 09189234798. Security personnel would be dispatched to verify and
address the threat, while others would be strategically positioned for access control and as back-up if
needed.

What numbers should be called if sparks, flames and/or smoke are seen coming from an oven,
other equipment or facility?

Call Emergency Services at 2222 or 09189234798. Fire truck with fire fighters would be dispatched to
the scene, assisted by security personnel for crowd and vehicular traffic control if needed.

Should the IRRI clinic be called in case of a medical emergency?

Do not call the IRRI clinic during medical emergencies; call Emergency Services at 2222 or
09189234798. Emergency Services call-takers/dispatchers are experienced registered nurses and
emergency medical technicians who are trained in handling emergency calls. The IRRI clinic staff would
not respond to the incident but would endorse emergency callers to Emergency Services. Calling the IRRI
clinic would mean delayed Emergency Services assistance and, consequently, delayed ambulance
response.

What happens if an emergency occurs while on trip in the provinces or Metro Manila?

Call Emergency Services at 2222 or 09189234798. Coverage of Emergency Services is nationwide.

Nationwide emergency network contacts are maintained and activated when incidents occur even outside
the effective scope of Emergency Services resources.
In case of medical emergencies, the ambulance service is limited within a 75-km radius from the Institute.
In case of fires, the fire truck would respond only within Los Baños and Bay in coordination with the
Bureau of Fire Protection. Security personnel would only respond within the confines of the area of
responsibility of the Institute. Coordination with local police for assistance would be done during incidents
that occur outside the Institute’s area of responsibility.

If an IRRI ambulance responds to an emergency, where would the patient or victim be

brought?

The ambulance crew is obliged to transport the patient or victim to the nearest medical facility. If the
emergency is within the research center, the patient is brought to the IRRI Clinic (from 7 AM to 5 PM).
Only at the instruction of the Medical Control would the ambulance crew transport the victim to an
alternate medical facility or hospital.

Who is the Medical Control?

The Medical Control is the doctor/physician who is mandatorily consulted by the Emergency Services'
ambulance crew or call-taker/dispatchers during an emergency medical response. He/she has the
authority on incident site, in-transit emergency medical treatments, and patient transfers from incident site
to clinic and/or to other medical facility.

From 8 AM to 5 PM weekdays, except holidays, the Medical Control is the IRRI clinic doctor on duty.
From 5 PM to 8 AM weekdays and on weekends and holidays, the Medical Control is the Lifeline Rescue
Emergency Services' medical director. Basically, sound emergency medical direction is available 24/7
through the Medical Control.

Are parents, relatives or neighbors of IRRI personnel covered by Emergency Services medical
assistance and ambulance service?

The IRRI ambulance service only covers IRRI personnel and their authorized dependents (legal spouse or
recognized domestic partner, and children – see HR Policy Manual, GRS and NRS Philippines
Supplements to the HR Policy Manual), official guests and visitors, and on-site contractual personnel.
Call-takers and dispatchers would still provide assistance by providing emergency medical instructions
and, if needed, suggest alternative mode of medical transport: local hospitals, Philippine National Red
Cross, municipal and barangay ambulance/emergency response vehicles, and/or private ambulance
service.

What happens if the hotlines are called for non-emergency inquiries?

Hotlines are dedicated to emergencies only. W hen a non-emergency call is engaged, legitimate
emergency calls could have delayed crucial assistance and response. To handle traffic of calls, inquiries
on emergency services should be placed at extensions 2796, 2332, or 2278. Security and other general
inquires should be made at extensions 2316 or 2807.

If, by mistake, anyone calls the hotline for non-emergency inquiries, they will be advised to call these
other numbers.

For more information and further clarifications, please contact the Safety and Environment Office via
extension 2796 or e-mail safetyandsecurity@irri.org.