Community Volunteers Test Life-Saving Skills in Faisalabad CERT Challenge

Key Points:

Trained community volunteers from union councils across Faisalabad district took part in the CERT Challenge at the Central Rescue Station
The practical tests covered classification of casualties, first aid, firefighting, search and rescue of people trapped in buildings and rescue from drowning
District Emergency Officer Engineer Ehtisham Wahla supervised the challenge, held on the directions of Secretary Dr Rizwan Naseer
The CERT programme trains volunteers to act to save lives before Rescue 1122 arrives, the district emergency officer said
The best-performing team will represent Faisalabad at the National CERT Challenge in Lahore

FAISALABAD: Trained community volunteers from across the district were put through live tests of triage, first aid, firefighting and rescue work as Faisalabad staged its Community Emergency Response Teams Challenge at the Central Rescue Station.

The challenge was held under the supervision of District Emergency Officer Engineer Ehtisham Wahla. It was organised on the special directions of Dr Rizwan Naseer (Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Secretary of the Punjab Emergency Services Department.

Volunteers trained under the programme in union councils of the district’s tehsils took part in the practical exercises. The exercises covered classification of casualties, first aid, firefighting, search and rescue of people trapped in buildings and the rescue of people from drowning.

Engineer Ehtisham Wahla said the CERT programme was meant to train community volunteers so that effective steps could be taken to save precious lives in any emergency before Rescue 1122 teams arrived.

The team that performs best in the district challenge will represent Faisalabad at the National CERT Challenge. The national event will be held at the Punjab Emergency Services Academy in Lahore.