LAHORE:The month-long life saving skills and water search & rescue training concluded
at Manager Training Centre of Emergency Services Academy here on Saturday.
Twelve officers from Pakistan Air Force participated in the training course.
Addressing the ceremony, Punjab Emergency Service Department (PESD), Director
General Dr Rizwan Naseer congratulated the participants of course on the successful
completion of Water Search & Rescue and Life Saving Skills Course. He said that
Rescue-1122 had dealt with over 14,700 drowning incidents in rivers, canals and
lakes across Punjab.
Apart from this, it was also important to have collaboration and coordination of emergency
services with Air Force for coordinated search and rescue operations in case of any
untoward incident.
Dr Rizwan also shared about the emergency services reforms which had been carried
out in Punjab, KPK and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces.
He said the PESD provided emergency services to over 10 million people in emergencies
and responded to over 172,000 fire emergencies and saved losses worth over Rs 510 billion
by professional firefighting on modern lines.
He said the Emergency Services Academy (ESA) trained over 21,000 emergency personnel
of all provinces of Pakistan since its inception. Now, the ESA has its first United Nations
INSARAG Certified Team in South Asia to respond national and international disasters,
calamities in accordance with international standards, which was also an honour for
Pakistan, DG added.
Officer Commanding Chashma Water Survival School Sqn Ldr Faheem Ahmad Cheema
conveyed the message of Air Commodore Nauman Waheed, SI(M) and said: “I feel highly
obliged upon fulfillment of my urge to get our manpower trained from your esteem Academy”.
PAF Base MM Alam generates a huge number of flying missions over water. After obtaining
such professional training in the domain of water rescue, scuba diving and first aid medical
course by PAF personnel, ‘we consider our flying on waters more secure,’ he added.
He also extended his gratitude and appreciation to all officers and officials of Emergency
Services Academy for imparting professional training to PAF Personnel from Chashma
Water Survival School.
Later, certificates were given away to the successful participants of the training.