DUMAGUETE CITY, Dec. 2 (PIA) -- For 10 years now, the ONE Rescue Emergency Medical Service (EMS) or Oriental Negros Emergency-Rescue Foundation Inc. has been helping and saving lives especially for persons involved in vehicular accidents in Metro Dumaguete.

Dr. Kenneth Coo, chief of operations of ONE Rescue, said the rescue team's efforts to provide free basic life support to trauma and medical or pre-hospital care to victims of vehicular accidents to ensure they are treated quickly and efficiently.

"With the growing development, the ONE Rescue responds to an average of 10 emergency calls daily, that's 300 a month with about 90 percent are vehicular accidents," said Coo.

In its 10th year anniversary, ONE Rescue recognizes generous individual donors of medical equipment such as ambulance and other gears or in-kind donations that help continue to assist in saving lives of victims.

"Initially, this would not have been possible without generous donations from our donors especially the first ambulance from the Lee family of Lee Plaza and Arthur Chua and the rest of the board who were responsible for organizing ONE Rescue and we started serving the community with emergency medical service," disclosed Atty. Jose Riodil Montebon, president of ONE Rescue.

The Rescue Foundation Inc. is registered and recognized by the Security and Exchange Commission.

Montebon also revealed that before the year ends, ONE Rescue will have an additional two ambulances from the Northern California Ambulance Service facilitated by the Northern California Silliman Alumni Association.

With the additional ambulances, Coo said these will greatly help to the increasing emergency calls, however, there is a need for more volunteers or personnel.

Volunteers who tirelessly help emergency rescues are not paid but are given honorarium with 12 hours each on duty as ONE Rescue opens for 24/7 to ensure emergency calls will be answered anytime, said Coo.

With this, he appealed to more benefactors to help defray operational expenses which reach P200,000 to P300,000 a month as a result of the volume of calls they receive for help and assistance daily.

The commitment of ONE Rescue is not only to provide free emergency medical service to the community but also provide free trainings on basic life support and advanced cardiac life support techniques to local government units, schools, SOCO. and other groups. (jct/PIA7 Negros Oriental)