Chairman NDMA Major General Asghar Nawaz visits Emergency Services Academy

Lahore: The Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Major General Asghar Nawaz visited Emergency Services Academy and said that Rescue 1122 has become a reputable organization and doing commendable job for life safety with good infrastructure and by adopting scientific approach.

“Apart from the services of the emergency services delivery, the training you are imparting among rescue cadets in Emergency Services Academy is definitely going to change the mindset of the public towards emergencies,” General Nawaz added. Earlier, on his arrival, smartly dressed Rescuers presented a welcome salute to the Chairman NDMA. He visited medical training stall, where he was briefed about training being imparted among rescue cadets about medical emergencies. He was further briefed about 10 floors high-rise fire tower, as the rescuers demonstrated new techniques to rescue trapped victims from the upper floors of the high rise buildings.

The Chairman NDMA also took keen interest in knowing the Rescue Cardiac Ambulances and the life safety equipment & its functions for life safety. Maj Gen Asghar Nawaz also visited Rescue; Fire and Deep Wells Rescue training areas and examined demonstration of rescue, firefighting and deep well rescue emergencies respectively.

While chairing a meeting of Emergency Officers which was also attended by the office bearers of Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) of United Kingdom, Gen Nawaz said that he was glad to see infrastructure and service standards of the Punjab Emergency Service. While lauding the services of DG Rescue Punjab Dr. Rizwan Naseer, he said, “I’m glad to see that you have clarity about the role you are playing in Punjab regarding emergency management system, which we need at the national level”. Gen Nawaz further said that Rescue 1122 has become model organization for others, which also needs to be replicated in other provinces for the provision of basic right to timely emergency care to citizens of other provinces.

On this occasion, Dr. Rizwan Naseer briefed about the Emergency Services Reforms in Pakistan and the reasons behind the success of Rescue 1122, which was launched as a pilot project from Lahore with 14 Ambulances; 6 Rescue Stations and 200 rescuers. He said that now it has developed into a comprehensive emergency management system which is now functional in all 36 Districts and major tehsils of Punjab and had rescued over three million victims of road traffic crashes, fire incidents, blasts, building collapse, floods and other disasters, within ten years which is commendable. He further explained the role Rescue 1122 was playing in implementation of Community Based Disaster Risk Management and provision of technical assistance to Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhaw and Azad Jammu & Kashmir so that the citizens of other provinces could also be provided with the basic right to timely emergency response and care without discrimination. .