PROTECTOR OF GOLDEN HOURS

 by Zaheer Abbas

 

 Introduction

Among the various round the clock, country-wide relief and rescue operation agencies working in the country, Rescue 1122 remains the primary emergency services department with its dedication, resilience and empathy. The next few paragraphs will elaborate over the historical overview and operational methodologies of its different departments.

History

Launch The system designated, Rescue 1122 as a Pilot Project in Lahore on 14, October, 2004. The ground breaking reforms and pre-hospital care system are owe their inspiration to the expert behind the operations, Dr. Rizwan Naseer. Before 2004 Pakistan did not had a formal professional pre-hospital emergency services in and rescue missions such as; Road accidents, fires incidents, and natural catastrophes were relied on poorly funded charities and community workers. The main Departments To run a system that caters to a variety of emergencies efficiently the agency has been hierarchically diversified into the below seven operational departments: 

1.              Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS)

The Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS) of Rescue 1122 represents Pakistan’s leading, free pre-hospital medical aid that deals with all types of acute medical emergencies, trauma and accidents in the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. The emergency care given in ambulances are not just transports; their ambulances are mobile Intensive Care Units (ICUs) equipped with a highly capable team of paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who are ready to stabilize patients on site. Advanced equipment like oxygen cylinders, cardiac machines, automated external defibrillators, nebulizers, cervical immobilization kits among others equip our fleet for optimum pre-hospital care.

 

2.       Fire Rescue Service

The Fire Rescue Service of Rescue 1122 is the first modern, specialized infrastructure for fire and rescue operations in Pakistan. Implemented in 2007, the organization provides professional, structured fighting in building structure fires alongside pre-hospital medical backup to save as many precious lives as possible. This modern fire system comprises of modern high-capacity fire tenders and foam fire tenders along with versatile rescue trucks. Urban Response Strategy Combating high density interior city streets where larger vehicles cannot pass the force utilizes highly customized compact miniature fire engines along with modular backpack equipment sets. A licensing authority responsible for commercial property fire hazard assessment and establishing effective fire hydrants.

 

3.       Disaster Emergency Response Team

Rescue 1122s premier Disaster Emergency Response Team (DERT) offers special expertise in dealing with disasters and structural collapse. It was created in 2006 following failures during the Kashmir earthquake rescue efforts but has become Pakistan s leading response for earthquakes as it boasts expertise in CSSR (Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue) as well as specialized capabilities in the medical and HAZMAT areas based out of Emergency Services Academy Lahore.

 

4.       Motorbike Rescue Service (MRS)

The Motorbike Rescue Service (MRS) 1122 was launched by the Punjab Emergency Service Department in 2017, it has become Pakistan’s swift response initiative which deals with the constant problem of getting rapid emergency aid to people through Pakistan's crowded city centers where traffic congestion limits speed. With the MRS a speedy average response time of 4-5 minutes is achieved across major provinces with trained EMTS who are able to treat nearly 35% of all patients on-site using advanced trauma kits and devices like AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators), in effect turning the motorbike into a mobile mini-ICU.

 

5.       Water Rescue Service

    The Water Rescue Service of Rescue 1122 serves as Pakistan s leading aquatic rescue service which deals specifically with drowning incidents, river flood evacuations and high-capacity flood response based out of its flood centers across Pakistan s major rivers. The service employs unique aquatic response equipment such as Rescue Boats and underwater sonars and has expertise in providing flood evacuation, specialized diving operations, flood damage assessment and a wide scale flood prevention initiative.

 

6.       Animal Rescue Service

Rescue 1122 currently serves as the Pakistani state’s designated and first and foremost animal rescue organization in the country. It is able to carry out large livestock rescue operations, house pet retrieval in emergency situations, and large animal evacuation procedures. The service also acts in aid of natural disaster recovery efforts by helping with the evacuation of large animals during floodings, training in Lahore at the Emergency Services Academy helps develop their expertise in large animal extraction procedures.

7.       Community Safety Wing

The Community Safety Wing (CSW) of Rescue 1122, the first legal civic intervention in community level emergency response planning, encourages the development of all citizens into trained emergency first responders on and off a duty basis in accordance with existing Pakistani laws. Under its umbrella the CSW actively coordinates the establishment of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and a Rescue Cadet Corps (RCC) across the largest province of Pakistan to help build capacity of basic life support skills in citizens in a range of topics including CPR, first aid and firefighting techniques to train community readiness in areas of Punjab, among others, to respond proactively to emergencies.

Conclusion

Rescue 1122 has indeed modernised the way emergencies are dealt with in Pakistan with limited resources the centrally controlled emergency response system is a god send and has a high amount of citizen trust. To secure and protect this vital service sustained funding is needed as is upgrading of facilities and intensive public education and awareness schemes