LAHORE: Twenty officials of Rescue 1122 will get training in urban search and rescue (USAR) operations from the army specialists.

The master trainers will be the first badge getting specialised training from the army.

Emergency Services Academy Director General retired Brig Amir Hamza handed over 20-member team of rescuers from across the province to the army specialists for training. The team included nine officers from the Emergency Services Academy, as many station coordinators from every divisional headquarters, one from Lahore and another from Rawalpindi.

Before handing over the team to the army, Mr Hamza briefed them on importance of USAR training with reference to increasing number of complex emergencies and responsibility of rescue service as first response organisation. He also requested the army’s training coordinators to train rescue trainers in a way that they could further impart the USAR training to divisional headquarters Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2016