LAHORE: A 15-day international training course for instructors (TFI) was initiated in collaboration with the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), Nepal, and National Disaster and Management Authority at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy on Friday.

The training course, which is a part of fourth pilot training programme for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) in Pakistan, is being organised here after five such courses had been conducted in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines.

According to a news release, the countries were selected for the programme on basis of their high seismic vulnerability, need to improve disaster response capacity, and interest shown by respective governments and civil society.

The main objectives are to establish and strengthen the capabilities of PEER countries to provide collapsed structure search and rescue and basic and advanced life support, beginning with the first responder and continuing through medical facilities. These courses also helped in developing a training system that continually provided disaster response with qualified personnel for search and rescue besides medical first response and facilities prepared to receive victims.

Five trained instructors from Nepal would monitor the course whereas two regional emergency officers, four DEOs and over 20 rescue instructors would be participating in the course.

PES Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer addressed the opening session.