Daily Times

Federal Interior Minister Sh Rashid Ahmed said that it was a great honour for the country that Pakistan Rescue Team (PRT) had become the first team in South Asia to get United Nations INSARAG Certification.

On Thursday at the 2nd Anniversary of UN Certification he appreciated the efforts of DG PESD and his team for this achievement. He also invited DG Emergency Service for signing an MOU between Islamabad and Rescue 1122 Punjab to establish Emergency Service in Islamabad and promised to provide 20 ambulances to start service in Islamabad on same pattern of Punjab.

Rashid also appreciated the simulators established in the Academy for training of rescuers and wished to have integrated emergency management system like ambulance, fire and rescue and motorbike ambulance service in Islamabad.

Rescue 1122 has rescued 10 million victims since its inception in 2004 and established the Emergency Service Academy which has so far provided special training to more than 20,000 emergency professionals around Pakistan. Sh Rashid congratulated the team leader and deputy team leader of PRT over establishment of 36 Light Search & Rescue Teams (USARTs) in every district of Punjab in line with guidelines of United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) standards for disaster response.

DG PESD, divisional emergency officers, district emergency officers, rescue officers from headquarters, academy instructors, team members of PRT, rescuers, media persons and a large number of rescue cadets were also present at the occasion.