Bill would provide for town-level unified emergency response capability
By The Star Staff
Speaker of the House of Representatives Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez introduced a measure Thursday to allow municipalities to create a “Municipal Emergency, Fire and Rescue Management Unit” to act as a unified and self-sufficient entity to improve emergency response.
“It is essential to decentralize the current emergency management system, which is in a single structure at the state level and that does not respond quickly enough,” Hernández Montañez said in a written statement. “This measure will give adequate resources to the municipalities, which are the entities closest to citizens.”
The new municipal entity would have the legal capacity to sign agreements with the 9-1-1 Emergency System and the State Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration to provide services in a given region. In addition, it would have preference to contractually agree on emergency medical services.
“The intention is to strengthen the synergy between the State Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration and the municipal emergency management offices,” the House speaker said. “The goal is for aid to arrive immediately without bureaucracy or unnecessary delays.”
In addition, the measure would authorize municipalities to establish agreements with the central government to operate the fire departments in their respective towns, and would give them the responsibility of providing first aid services and pre-hospital medical care.
“As in the best and most modern cities in North America and Europe, with this initiative we integrate all the services already offered by municipalities and the state for the management of various emergencies in a more agile, capable and competent structure,” Hernández Montañez said.