National emergency response challenge starts

LAHORE: The National Challenge for Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) started at Emergency Services Academy (Rescue 1122) on Monday in order to improve professional emergency response capacity of CERTs and develop resilient communities in the country.

Former Scottish Parliamentarian Hanzala Malik along with Punjab Emergency Service director general inaugurated the challenge. Emergency Services Academy Registrar Dr Farhan Khalid, Head of Community Safety & Information Deeba Shahnaz Akhtar, Head of Safety Muhammad Ahsan, Head of Fire & Rescue Dr Azam and senior officers were also present.

The DG Rescue welcomed all the teams and said the main objective of the challenge was to provide a platform to volunteers for healthy competition. He asserted that the CERTs challenge would also enhance coordination amongst teams and service for management of emergencies and safety promotion. Meanwhile, a delegation from Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute (AFPGMI) Rawalpindi consisting of 33 members headed by Commandant, Maj Gen Muhammad Salman Ashraf visited the Emergency Services Academy and observed emergency response skills of participating volunteers in the different scenario which included; Management of Mass Causality Incident (MCI), Light Search and Rescue, Basic Life Support and First Aid, Response to Fire and Water Emergencies. A total of 37 volunteer teams from all over Pakistan are participating in the three-day challenge, where senior officers of Rescue Headquarters & Emergency Services Academy will evaluate Community Action for Disaster Response (CADRE) skills of all teams.

The Community Emergency Response Teams from Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, D.G.Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Layyah, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Sialkot participated on first day, whereas CERTs from Sargodha, Mianwali, Khushab, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, M.B.Din, Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Vehari, Khanewal and Narowal will participate on the second day and teams from Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, T.T.Singh, Bhawalnagar, Lodhran, Gujrat, Gujranwala and Chitral will take part on the third day.

NH&MP: National Highways and Motorway Police celebrated twenty second “Raising Day” after starting its policing on Motorways on the same date in 1997. The day’s proceedings started with salami at Motorway Police Martyred Monument and prayers for elevation of martyred officers at NH&MP Training College, Sheikhupura. Later, Additional IG Training College & Headquarters Khalid Mehmood and Commandant Training College DIG Mehmood Aslam cut the cake. SSP Masroor Alam Kolachi, SSP Ayaz Saleem, SSP Salman Ahmad Khan and other officials of Motorway Police were also present on the occasion. After celebrations, opening ceremony of featured event of NH&MP eighth annual sports festival took place here at the Training College, Sheikhupura. Chief Guest of the event Additional IG Khalid Mehmood illuminated festival torch to mark the beginning of the event. About four hundred players and athletes including female of Motorway Police participated in the event from all over Pakistan. The players and athletes from training college, motorways, north, central, south and west zones are participating in different games including cricket, tug of war, football, badminton, table tennis, volley ball, basket ball, 100 and 400 meter race. The zone winning maximum gold medals will receive special trophy and earn the title of ‘Best Zone’.

Addressing the ceremony, Chief Guest Additional IG Khalid Mehmood said sports always create healthy competition among organisations and by organising the gala, the department was providing platform to officers from all parts of the country.

drug peddlers: Lahore Police has arrested 42 drug peddlers in anti-drug campaign around educational institutions. Police operations wing has issued report of last three weeks in this regard.

Lahore SSP Operations Capt (R) Mustansir Feroze has said Police has arrested drug peddlers red-handed outside various public and private educational institutions.