LAHORE: The passing out ceremony of 889 rescuers including 709 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) trained for the first time as per National Ambulance Service College Ireland guidelines was held at the Emergency Services Academy on Thursday. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar was the chief guest of the passing out ceremony. Provincial Minister for Disaster Management Mian Khalid Mahmood, National Ambulance Service College Education & Ambulance Chief Officer Macartan Hughes, Punjab Emergency Services Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer, officers from Rescue Headquarters, faculty of the Emergency Services Academy and a large number of rescuers, their parents and family friends attended the ceremony. According to details, at least 889 rescuers of Basic-28 course including 709 EMTs, 156 Computer Telephone Wireless Operators, 25 emergency officers and managers have successfully completed their professional training organised at the Emergency Services Academy. Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar also inaugurated the Rescue Ambulance Service College established in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service College of Ireland to ensure the quality of training as per international standards of the emergency medical technicians and dispatchers. Rescue 1122 DG Dr Rizwan Naseer congratulated the passing out rescuers and their families on completion of their professional emergency management training. He said that this Emergency Services Academy is not only providing training to the rescuers of Punjab but also providing technical assistance and has trained 18,000 emergency staff of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Balochistan as well as Aman Foundation from Karachi since its inception. Muhammad Sarwar congratulated the cadets and said that Rescue 1122 was an idea long ago but owing to visionary leadership of Dr Rizwan Naseer, Punjab has played a true role by providing full cooperation pertaining to technical assistance and training to the cadets of other provinces in the field of emergency management. The Punjab governor said that it is a matter of immense pleasure that he has also been strengthening this life-saving service since its inception by arranging technical assistance to fire service training from Scottish fire service. “Now, it is an honour for all of us that 18,000 rescuers have been trained in the Emergency Services Academy and Punjab Emergency Service, which provides a sense of safety to the citizens,” he added. He ensured to play his role for organising a council meeting for approval of service regulations for the promotion of rescuers on regular basis and strengthen the emergency management system. Mian Khalid Mahmood said that rescuers were the brave sons of soil, who put their lives in danger to save the lives of others. He asserted that he himself witnessed excellent professionalism exhibited by rescuers during accidents, floods and other disasters. “It is for this reason that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority has notified Rescue 1122 as the Disaster Response Force of Punjab and provided all necessary boats and equipment for management of floods,” he said and also expressed his deep gratitude over the successful completion of training and congratulated Dr Naseer and his team for devotion and continuous struggle towards ensuring a safer Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, September 28th 2018.