Five years on: Firefighters who fell in the line of duty remembered

'Unsung Heroes Day' observed through training sessions for firemen.

RAWALPINDI:

While we get to hear a lot about police and armed personnel losing their comrades in the conflict struck country, the loss of life-savers from other government departments also needs to be highlighted.

Such an occasion — the Unsung Heroes Day — was marked by Rescue-1122 and Fire Safety Association of Pakistan (FSAP) on Friday to pay tribute to their fellows those who laid their lives in the line of duty during the Ghakkar Plaza tragedy - a sad chapter in the recent history of Rawalpindi.

And what could be a better way to do so than to train the fire fighters on modern lines and equip them with the knowledge of latest safety techniques apart from informing them about the importance of their role through the inspirational story of their fellows.

Thirteen fire fighters had sacrificed their lives on December 20, 2008 while extinguishing fire in the multi-storey plaza situated in the busy bazaar of Saddar.  In the incident around 500 shops were gutted, bringing the whole structure down.

The fire at the city’s most famous shopping mall lasted for nearly a day and rendered scores of salespersons working in various shops jobless.

Out of the 13 emergency workers, four belonged to Rescue-1122, one to Municipal Fire Brigade Rawalpindi, six to Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) Wah and two to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Islamabad.

Terming them as “the real heroes of the nation,” speakers highlighted the role of rescuers to ensure complete security cover to people in emergency by putting their own lives at risk.

Punjab Emergency Service Director General Dr Rizwan stressed the need to implement fire safety standards, especially in high rise buildings, saying “we cannot put more precious lives on the line by neglecting the importance of modern training. It is about time we implement the best in fire safety standards.”

Rawalpindi District Education Officer Dr Abdur Rehman said “We are proud of our heroes, and sacrifices rendered by them will be remembered forever.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2013.