Rescue 1122 DG directs to establish CERTs

Designates community rescue stations for free of cost registration as Rescue Mohafiz

LAHORE: Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer has directed all the District Emergency Officers (DEOs) to promote community safety through trainings in schools and colleges and establish Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in all the Union Councils of Punjab.

He issued instructions to all DEOs to execute community safety programmes through enlistment, training, coordination and supervision of volunteers registered as Rescue Mohafiz (Volunteers) to assist the service in safety promotion and management of emergencies in accordance with the Punjab Emergency Service Act 2006.

Naseer re-designated all Rescue Stations as Community Rescue Stations to facilitate community for free of cost registration as Rescue Mohafiz and getting safety trainings by the professionals of Rescue 1122. He said that Community Rescue Stations shall conduct training in schools, colleges and organisations in the morning shift whereas CERTs shall be trained on daily basis at all stations in the evening.

He emphasised to conduct refresher trainings for already registered CERTs and involve them in emergency response and safety promotion activities.

He stressed upon the daily exercise of rescuers and CERTs for at least an hour so that they can perform their duties more efficiently and professionally.

Naseer directed the head of Community Safety and Information to disseminate training material and reporting formats to all DEOs to ensure uniformity in awareness and training activities, deployment of CERTs and timely reporting for review of all performed activities in the districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2018.