Disaster management: ‘Let’s build safer communities’

DG says programme being made for the prevention of emergencies.

LAHORE: Punjab Emergency Service Director General Rizwan Naseer said on Monday Rescue 1122 was working to build socially responsible, healthy, safer and more resilient communities in the province through Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM).

He said the Rescue 1122 was working with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to devise a programme for the prevention of emergencies.

Naseer was speaking at the opening ceremony of a weeklong training course for emergency officers and rescue and safety officers from various tehsils in the province.

The programme aims to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen people’s capacity to cope with various disaster risks.

The direct involvement of community members in undertaking local level risk reduction measures is integral for the establishment of safer communities, the director general said.

He said the core objective of the training was to initiate, formalise and develop community emergency response teams to ensure that a trained human resource was available to mitigate disasters.

Naseer said Rescue 1122 and the NDMA planned to implement the programme at grassroots.

He said the training dealt with risk and hazard assessment, vulnerability assessment and capacity development; formation of disaster risk management plans at the community level, community based multi-hazard early warning and dissemination mechanisms, school evacuation plans and a community evacuation plan. He urged rescue safety officers to transfer these skills at the community level to raise awareness on engagement.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2015.