Office of Asian Fire Service Association opens

LAHORE
DIRECTOR General, Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122), Dr. Rizwan Naseer inaugurated the first International Office of the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) of the United Kingdom at the Emergency Services Academy to enhance the capacity of the trainers, revise curriculum of training, and strengthen mutual cooperation between the AFSA and Rescue 1122 in future.
DG Rescue Punjab Dr. Rizwan Naseer and AFSA’s Chairman of UK Mr. Mehrban Sadiq formally inaugurated the office whereas the AFSA’s Fire Instructor/Technical Expert Mr. Keith Trotter and AFSA’s Secretary General Ms Yasmeen, Deputy Director (Training) Dr. Farhan Khalid and other officers were also present.
Initiating this collaborative step, Dr. Rizwan Naseer said the Emergency Services Academy welcomed the establishment of the AFSA’s International office. He said the step had been initiated to enhance the emergency services capacity, which unfortunately had been neglected in the developing countries to review the curriculum of the training wings, suggest necessary addition and enhance the practical skills of the rescue instructors.
He said the office would work as a focal-point between the Emergency Services Academy, Pakistan, and AFSA to enhance the future collaboration of the AFSA with other regional countries.
Dr. Rizwan Naseer further said the office would help in ensuring the standard of the training imparted to the rescuers at the Emergency Services Academy as per British standards. Moreover, the Rescue 1122 will be able to revise and review the training programmes in collaboration with the Asian Fire Service Association.
Mr. Mehrban Sadiq on this occasion said the AFSA had established its first international office at the newly established Emergency Services Academy in Pakistan from where we would be able to enhance the professional collaboration between the Rescue 1122 and AFSA. He further said the AFSA would work as a helping hand in expediting the

international accreditation of the Rescue 1122 and its instructors with the international stakeholders in the field of emergency services. “The curriculum of the training of rescue cadets will be revised after a detailed review by the AFSA’s fire and technical experts,” he said.
On this occasion, Mr Keith Trotter said the development and progress of the Rescue 1122 in such a short period of time was commendable.
Research: A team of the World Bank’s 3rd Party Evaluation, headed by Dr Nazir Mahmood, visited the Office of the Research Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) Punjab University on Saturday.
Dr Nazir along with team members interacted with the ORIC officials and discussed various aspects with regard to the role of the ORIC towards the research activities with a special emphasis on the commercialisation of products/projects developed by PU faculty. The team also met Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran and discussed how to strengthen the role of the ORIC towards research commercialisation in the university.