LAHORE: The Punjab Emergency Service, Rescue 1122, has formally launched the Rescue Mohafiz Programme to enhance emergency preparedness and lower response time to emergencies in all union councils of Punjab. Under the new programme, community emergency response teams (CERTs) would be established. In this regard, a formal launching ceremony was organised at the PCSIR auditorium where Chief Minister’s Chief Social Mobilizer Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Adviser to Chief Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir, Founder Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer, ESA Director General Brigadier (r) Amir Hamza and others participated. Addressing the participants, Dr Rizwan Naseer paid rich tribute to volunteers on their selfless service to humanity. He said although, the Rescue 1122 had rescued over 4.5 million emergency victims but there was a dire need to work for making communities healthy and safer. He said the government was doing everything to minimize accidents, but public should also join hands with the Rescue 1122 and work for reduction of accidents. The Rescue 1122 is launching the community emergency response teams (CERTs) in accordance with the Punjab Emergency Service Act 2006. Every person enrolled with the CERT will be called as a ‘Rescue Mohafiz’. A video message of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also aired. The chief minister appealed to the citizens to join CERTs and become Mohafiz of their streets, towns and cities. He said that it was need of the hour to work together to provide safe and healthy society to future generations. Speaking on the occasion, Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan termed launching of Rescue Mohafiz Programme a historic step through which each citizen would be able to work with shoulder-to-shoulder of rescuers. “We shall go to each union council of the Punjab and will work for safe, secure, healthy and prosperous society,” he said, and added that he was happy to know that Dr Rizwan Naseer had rejoined Rescue 1122 and had taken a very positive step for launching CERTs under visionary leadership of the Punjab CM. He appealed to media practitioners and citizens to join Rescue 1122 as Rescue Mohafiz as also announced to be the first ‘Rescue Mohafiz’. Earlier, Humanetek CEO Fahad Mahmood Khan briefed about the ‘Mohafiz Mobile Application’ through which any citizen can open play store/app store and app box and get him/herself registered. The citizens can also visit nearest rescue station in Punjab to get registration form for the same purpose.