Vision - Safe communities where all citizens are provided the right to timely emergency response and care without discrimination. Mission - Establishment of an effective system for emergency preparedness, response, protection & prevention; while contributing towards building socially responsible, healthy, resilient and safer communities.
Key Objectives -
1. Provision of the right to timely emergency care by providing quality emergency services as per international standards.
2. Undertake research to recommend evidence based measures to related organizations for prevention of emergencies.
3. Contribute towards establishment of socially responsible community emergency response teams through awareness, enrollment, training & organizing volunteers for emergency preparedness, response & prevention.
The Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) is leading emergency humanitarian service of Pakistan with infrastructure of emergency equipment and trained staff in all districts of Punjab. The Service has been providing emergency medical; fire & rescue cover in all districts of Punjab since its inception, whereas the Service is also imparting education among community members & other stakeholders for establishment of safe communities in Punjab.
Director General’s Message
The Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) launched in 2004 from Lahore as a pilot project with 200 Rescuers; 06 Rescue Stations & 14 Ambulances has now developed into the largest emergency humanitarian service of Pakistan with infrastructure in all Districts of Punjab. The Service has won the trust of public by rescuing millions of emergency victims through its Emergency Ambulance; Rescue & Fire Services with average response time of 7 minutes. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has notified the Punjab Emergency Service as a Disaster Response Force, after witnessing excellent performance & commitment of the Service during catastrophic floods in 2010 in Punjab. Subsequently, the Home Department, Government of the Punjab, assigned flood relief function to Rescue 1122 and empowered the Service by providing material resources.
Furthermore, the incessant expansion of the Punjab Emergency Service in all Districts & 15 Tehsils of Punjab is the reward of highly enthralling performance & repute of the Punjab Government under dynamic leadership of Chief Minister, Punjab, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. In order to promote provincial harmony, the Punjab Government has provided technical assistance and training to the staff of other provinces including Khyber Pakhtunkhaw; Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Aman Foundation Karachi to replicate this emergency system in respective provinces. Likewise, under broad vision of the Chief Minister, Punjab, Rescue 1122 is establishing special Urban Search & Rescue Teams at Divisional Level in Punjab to manage disasters in future. Furthermore, the public may rest assure that Punjab Government is continuously providing proper funding & budget to this Service for purchase; replacement and maintenance of the Ambulances, Fire Vehicles, Water Bousers, Turntable Ladders, and all other related emergency equipment necessary for life safety.
I served Pakistan Army for 30 years from 1981 to 2011 and worked on major assignments of rescue & relief before joining Punjab Emergency Service in October, 2012, as a Director Administration. During this span of time, I expedited the expansion process in Districts & Tehsils and streamlined monitoring system of the Service. I assisted in construction of Pakistan’s first Modern Emergency Services Academy at Thokar Niaz Baig equipped with all necessary simulators of training of Medical; Fire, Rescue & Relief. Now, I have been entrusted by the Government of the Punjab to head this lifesaving Service as Director General and I have prioritised to work for establishment of Urban Search & Rescue Teams; early enforcement of Service Structure, welfare of the rescuers and to ensure continuous provision of swift emergency medical care to the victims of all natures of emergencies across the Punjab. I also wish all the rescuers should continue discharging their duties with honesty and enthusiasm with proactive approach of prevention of emergencies in order to establish disaster resilient and safer communities in Pakistan.
Brig. (R) DR. ARSHAD ZIA
DIRECTOR GENERAL
Introduction of Rescue 1122
The Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) is the largest emergency humanitarian service of Pakistan with infrastructure in all 36 districts of Punjab and is providing technical assistance to other provinces. Rescue 1122 has rescued over victims of emergencies through its emergency Ambulance, Rescue & Fire services and Community Emergency Response Teams while maintaining its average response time of 7 minutes and standards in all districts of Punjab province with population of over 80 million.
The Punjab Emergency Service Act was promulgated in 2006 to provide legal cover to the Emergency Services Reforms initiated in 2004 from Lahore. Start of Rescue 1122 was necessitated by failure of repeated attempts to revitalize and modernize the old organizations mandated for emergency management. Now as a result of the performance of Rescue 1122 during emergencies and disasters in recent years, it has also been notified as the Disaster Response Force by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Government of the Punjab.
The District Emergency Officer is responsible for the day to day operational management and administration of the Service in the Districts under the supervision of District Coordination Officer who is also the Chairman of the District Emergency Board. The Board has become an effective organization for improving inter-departmental coordination and prevention of emergencies based on review of emergency data. The Director General who is the Chief Executive Officer of the organization is mainly responsible for overall operations,monitoring to ensure uniformity & quality amongst districts, recruitment & training, research, planning and development.
Rescue 1122 is not just providing the emergency victims with the basic right to timely emergency care but believes in “saving lives and changing minds”. This is vividly reflected in the mission statement of the Service which is “development of safer communities through establishment of an effective system for emergency preparedness, response and prevention”.
In order to establish safer communities, Rescue 1122 is implementing the Community Safety Program which includes capacity building of community emergency response teams, school safety program, training of citizens in life saving skills and collaboration with Chamber of Commerce & Industries for fire and work safety. The details of Community Emergency Response Teams and citizens trained in Life Saving Skills are attached.
Emergency Services Academy has been established for sustainable human resource development in the field of emergency management which has been long neglected in Pakistan. This Academy is now imparting training not only to the emergency officials of Punjab but also to other provinces of Pakistan. The Academy imparts training in the fields of emergency medical training, fire fighting, fire prevention & investigation, urban search & rescue, high angle rescue, confined space rescue, water rescue and other emergency management skills.
