Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rescue 1122 has provided services in over 140,000 emergencies

PESHAWAR: The Emergency Rescue Service 1122 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has until now provided services in more than 140,000 emergencies of different kinds and is now geared up to further expand and improve its work.

According to figures provided by the Emergency Rescue Service 1122 headquartered in Peshawar, its personnel made available services in 92,000 medical emergencies, 34,000 traffic accidents, 5,000 incidents of fire, 498 bomb explosions, 4,000 crime situations, 500 building collapses and 3,600 cases of drowning. The figures of incidents have grown and so have the services offered by the Emergency Rescue Service 1122 that was launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2010 when acts of terrorism in the province and the adjoining the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) had reached record levels. 

Prior to the launching of this service, there were no proper emergency services to provide prompt relief to those wounded in bomb explosions and other emergencies or retrieve the injured buried under debris due to the collapse of buildings in acts of terrorism. Apart from major incidents, it also began providing services in minor and individual cases as the Emergency Service 1122 took on greater responsibilities.

Its services became visible in recent years in cases of major terrorist attacks such as the Army Public School and College in Peshawar, the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda and the Pakistan Air Force base in Badaber. Its staff also provided much-needed emergency services in the score of other incidents of bomb explosions in Peshawar including those targetting Meena Bazaar, Chowk Yadgar, Sarafa Bazaar, Nauthia, Iranian Consulate, etc. Whether it was the bombing of a church, mosque, Imambargah or any other public place, the workers of the Emergency Rescue Service 1122 were the first to reach the site of the attack to provide first aid, shift the injured to the hospitals, retrieve the bodies and offer other help. The uniformed members of the organization became a symbol of hope and resilience.

The Rescue 1122 services gradually expanded in both scope and reach when Dr Asad Ali Khan took over as the director general of the organization. Its services were initially confined to Peshawar and were then expanded to Mardan. The services were then made operational in Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Nowshera, Swat and also the Lowari Pass area linking Upper Dir with Chitral where emergency situations often happened due to the extreme weather, the snow-bound pass and road accidents. The Rescue 1122 would eventually work all over the province. Some measures were also taken to meet the demands of the employees for regularization of their jobs and provision of a proper service structure with opportunities of career growth.

At its headquarters in Peshawar, the Emergency Rescue Service 1122 provides free services under one roof and is capable of dealing with bomb explosions, fires, traffic accidents, medical emergencies such as heart attacks and cases of delivery by women, collapse of buildings, crimes, drowning, floods, etc. It was the first time that divers were recruited to save lives in the increasing incidents of drowning at rivers where picnickers venture into the waters. The rescue stations established in different parts of cities, like more than a dozen in Peshawar, are located and equipped to respond to an emergency within three to seven minutes.

A training wing was also set up at the Emergency Rescue Service 1122 and more than 100,000 persons have been trained to provide first aid and cope with emergencies. Mostly college and university students were trained and they used their skills during emergencies to provide prompt services. Training was also imparted to personnel of the army, police, National Highway Authority, employees of international organizations, Levies and Khassadars from Fata, etc. Awareness campaigns at different levels, including the districts, are also carried out by the Rescue 1122 activities.

The Emergency Rescue Service 1122 offers services all 24 hours, seven days a week. Some of its personnel have sustained injuries as they work in dangerous situations. The terrorists’ tactic of exploding one bomb and then another when rescue workers gather at the site of the attack has caused casualties to Rescue 1122 personnel and also civilians. However, the morale of the Rescue 1122 workers remains high as they do something that is good and needed. This is the reason Rescue 1122 has won praise from international organisations, senior government officials and, more importantly, from the victims and survivors in emergency situations.

Peshawar Bureau Report