Daily Times

A 25-members delegation of 52nd Common Training Program from Civil Services Academy Lahore headed by Additional Director Programme & Coordination Dr. Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi visited the Emergency Services Headquarters and Academy here on Saturday to understand role, function and operational aspects of Emergency Services Department. They witnessed the ongoing specialized training activities for management of Fire & Hazmat Emergencies, Medical & Trauma Emergencies, Collapsed Structure Search & Rescue, Water Rescue and Flood Emergencies.

The delegation was briefed about the 24/7 working of the Provincial Monitoring Cell (PMC) to ensure uniform standards of the Service in all Districts of Punjab. They also saw the working of integrated Emergency Management & Dispatch System, integrating Call Management and GPS Tracking to ensure timely response. In the Provincial Monitoring Cell, they were also briefed about the digital data base of the service in which all emergency data is available and incorporated for future planning and research work. After that, the delegation visited Managers Training Center (MTC) where they were warmly welcomed by the Registrar, Emergency Services Academy.

On this occasion, Secretary Emergency Services Department (ESD) Dr. Rizwan Naseer briefed the delegation about Emergency Services Reforms in Pakistan and the reasons behind the success of Emergency Services Department, which was started in the provincial capital Lahore as a pilot project with 14 Ambulances, 6 Rescue Stations, and 200 rescuers. He briefed that the Service has rescued over 16.2 million victims of emergencies and saved losses over 650 billion rupees in over 248445 fire incidents.

The delegation was apprised about severity of road traffic crashes in Punjab and the needful prevention to reduce the number of RTCs by 2030 under the United Nations One Vision such as reduction in vehicular speed limit to 30km/h under the UN Road Safety Strategy was discussed.

At this occasion, on the behalf of delegation Additional Director Programme & Coordination Dr. Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi said that it has been an honor to see such an effective comprehensive Emergency Service department in public sector of Pakistan. He also expressed gratitude to the Secretary ESD for his valuable contributions in the field of Emergency Services in Pakistan.

Dr. Rizwan Naseer answered the queries of delegates and said, “You all are future of Pakistan as the civil services play a significant role in implementation of safety laws which is the key to prevention of emergencies”. He wished the delegates best of luck. In last a group photo of delegation with Secretary Emergency Services Department was captured in memory of this visit.