Fire safety body calls for public training

Plans to enhance cooperation with Rescue 1122

LAHORE:

The newly constituted representative body of the fire protection industry of Pakistan pledged to promote and strengthen the culture of fire safety for every institution and housing unit in the country

The Pakistan Institute of Management (PIM) hosted the first-ever meeting of the newly constituted Fire Protection Industry of Pakistan (FPIP) in Lahore on Monday. Representation of the Rescue 1122 and other stakeholders attended the meeting to promote the culture of fire safety.

The meeting deliberated on the option of future collaboration between the Rescue 1122 service and FPIP to institutionalise the system to properly train human resource for providing fire safety and rescue services across the country.

Participants of the meeting were told that every responsible citizen in view of his or her obligation to the safety of the people and property in its immediate surroundings should be trained to deal with any fire emergency. They were told that the FPIP should get united on a single platform to streamline and improve the quality of its services as per the international standards for the fire safety of every industry, institution, and housing unit in the country.

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FPIP Founding Secretary General Muhammad Ovais told the meeting participants that the PIM and FPIP had entered into an agreement for establishing a fire safety, security, and emergency management academy in Pakistan.

FPIP Founder President Muhammad Imran Taj said the FPIP had been constituted to overcome a lack of necessary skills among the countrymen to ensure a culture of fire safety and protection.

He said the other issues to be addressed by the FPIP included lack of quality fire protection equipment and unavailability of fire forensic and testing labs in the country. He said the country also lacked a proper fire protection training institute.

Muhammad Ahsan, Head of Safety, the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) said the lack of fire safety and rescue skills is the main challenge nationwide. “Together we can establish the model for skills development and training.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2021.