RAWALPINDI, May 28: Civic agencies and various utility departments are holding a joint contingency fire exercise on Wednesday to test their war preparedness.

The exercise is being conducted under the aegis of the Civil Defence Organization. All the civic bodies, including the cantonment board and Tehsil municipal administration, fire departments, the ambulance services of the four hospitals in the city, Edhi ambulance service, Rescue 15, riot police, telephone department, Wapda and gas departments, and bomb disposal squad of the Civil Defence Organization will participate in the exercise.

District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, District Coordination Officer Amjad Ali Toor and other officials of the civic agencies will observe the exercise. It will start at 1pm with the sounding of sirens.

The Civil Defence Organization chief, Mr Liaquat, has asked the people not to get panicked when alarms are sounded.

The organization has also started enlisting volunteers to carry out various duties like providing first aid, carrying out rescue operations and patrolling in case war breaks out, he said.

The organization has a force of about 500 well-trained volunteers who always remain on call. About 230 new volunteers have been enlisted since the tension on the border started.