Unsung heroes: Events held to mark Int’l Fire Fighters’ Day

Rescue-1122 organised seminars, rallies and mock exercises in several districts

KHANEWAL/SIALKOT:

Several events were held to mark the International Fire Fighters’ Day in the province on Wednesday.

In Khanewal, Rescue-1122 organised a seminar and a rally. Engineer Danish Khalil spoke at the seminar. “The seminar has been organised to pay tribute to the valiant heroes who save precious human lives in danger nearly every day,” Khalil said at the beginning of the event. “It is a day to remember the fire fighters who have died in the line of duty.”

Rescue-1122 Emergency Officer Nadeem Iqbal Khatak and Rescue Safety Officer Kanwar Faheem distributed pamphlets regarding importance of the International Fire Fighters’ Day among the participants.

They later held a rally in which several teachers of a vocational training institute and scores of Rescue-1122 officials participated.

In Sialkot, Rescue-1122 conducted a mock exercise to mark the International Fire Fighters’ Day.  District Rescue-1122 Emergency Officer Kamal Abid supervised the exercise. The exercise was held in an industrial unit in which a large number of industrial workers participated.  Abid said that the objective of holding a mock exercise was primarily to assess the fire-fighting capabilities of Rescue-1122 officials. He said they had also wanted to show industrial workers how to handle an emergency situation like a factory fire.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif issued a statement to: “pay tribute to the brave fire fighters who laid down their lives to save precious human lives and property”. He said that fire fighters, across the world, put their lives at risk to save others.

It was only through proper training that fire fighters could perform their duties in a capable manner, save lives and prevent financial loss in incidents of outbreak of fire, he said.

The statement issued by the CM said that it was extremely important to follow building by-laws and ensure safety measures in high-rise buildings in order to prevent fire incidents.  “On this day, we must pledge to make serious efforts to prevent outbreaks of fire.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2016.