hile commuting on city roads, we are often alerted by a siren blaring in the distance. As the noise grows, we notice flashlights emanating from two-wheelers that seem to crisscross the lanes in a rush. These are motorcycle ambulances that carry people who’ve just been rescued in medical or accidental emergencies. Their sight makes us feel proud of these first responders.

For Muhammad Khurram, an emergency medical technician working with the Lahore sector of Rescue 1122 for the past six years, it is the “people’s prayers and gratefulness that keep me motivated.”

On a hot June morning this year, he was dispatched to a medical emergency in Lahore’s Green Town area. “When we arrived at the scene, we saw women wailing and beating their chests. An elderly man was lying motionless on a bed in front of them.” he tells TNS. “We tried to calm the family, and told them to step away from the man so that a medical examination could be carried out. Soon it transpired that the old man had collapsed because his blood sugar had dipped to dangerously low levels. If there had been any further delay in getting him the emergency treatment, he’d have started getting seizures and could even fall into a coma.”

Timely treatment resuscitated the old man. A few minutes later, he was up and running, and the entire family’s crying had turned into a celebration of sorts.

Khurram says that he and his colleague had to leave once the medical emergency had been provided to the old man. They were out on the road where another emergency awaited them.

In a sense, the motorcycle ambulance is a little workstation on the wheels for people like Khurram. The young medical emergency technician proudly relates many other instances where his arrival in critical moments helped save lives.

For the uninitiated, the Punjab Emergency Rescue Department, popularly known as Rescue 1122, offers emergency services that meet international standards. Since its establishment in 2004, the service has assisted in the creation of community emergency response teams that are also responsible for raising public awareness, recruiting, educating and organising volunteers for emergency preparedness/ response and prevention.

“When I leave for work, I have no idea what sort of emergency call I’ll be required to respond to,” says Adnan Akram, another emergency medical technician or, simply, a rescuer.

Over the years since he began work, Akram says he’s learned “one thing — that is, if the rescuers are able to reach the [emergency] site in time and without any trouble on the way, precious lives can be saved.”

When asked as to what he means by “trouble on the way,” he says, “Often, in the event of a road accident, the motorists and jaywalkers stop by, creating a traffic gridlock.

A spokesperson for Rescue 1122 reveals that the service received 28.39 million calls between its inception in 2004 and October 10, 2022, in Lahore alone. Of these, the tally of emergency calls stands at 1.83 million, road accidents at 802,006; medical emergencies 48,673; fire 1,808; structure collapse 45,674; crime incidents 1,396; drowning 120,823; and false calls 1,779. 1.77 million patients were transported to hospitals.

“In order to save lives, we must arrive at the scene, examine the injured, provide them first aid, and if needs be, transport those requiring hospitalisation as quick as possible.”

Despite high traffic volume and the bone-breaking roads, the average response time of rescuers is estimated to be less than five minutes. As a spokesperson for Rescue 1122 reveals, the service received 28.39 million calls between its inception in 2004 and October 10, 2022, in Lahore alone. Of these, the tally for emergency calls stands at 1.83 million, road accidents at 802,006; medical emergencies 48,673; fire 1,808; structure collapse 45,674; crime incidents 1,396; drowning 120,823; and false calls 1,779. 1.77 million patients were transported to hospitals.

General help

So, what are the citizens expected to do? “It’s simple: follow traffic rules and the building bylaws,” says Yasir Rehman, a leading firefighter at Rescue 1122.

“Most traffic crashes that I have responded to occurred either due to lane violations or under-age driving,” he adds. “As for the fire emergencies, they could be prevented if the relevant departments were vigilant about enforcing the bylaws.”

He cites the example of a recent fire incident in a six-storey plaza in Taxali. The commercial building stood in a congested residential area where there was no vehicular access. He says that the firefighters arrived at the locality within five minutes of the call, but they couldn’t reach the building without constructing a 500-metre hose chain. This took 30 precious minutes. The fire, which started on the ground floor, had by then spread to the first floor. The rescue workers had barely put out the blaze when they ran out of water supply. By the time the water was arranged, the fire had started again, and threatened to reach the second and third floors. The operation continued for well over 36 hours. Eventually, the building collapsed.

“Had the building been at an accessible place, and if hydrants and fire extinguishers were available at the site, the fire could have been stopped from getting out of control,” says Rehman.

The drill

The rescuers meet strict selection criteria and learn life-saving skills. They follow a rigorous training regime at the services headquarters in Thokar Niaz Baig area. The training area has a 200-metre well hole where they are made to do rescue drills; a lake full of muddy water to rescue the drowned; a six-storey building where the rescuers learn to help people trapped indoors; a large swimming pool, a vast collapsed structure area, and a driving area. Women, from the Punjab, and now other provinces, also receive first responder training here.

“We become tough, but we don’t lose empathy,” says Rehman. He urges on the government to consider raising their salaries which, he says, are extremely low.

“Thankfully, the Punjab government has approved risk allowance for [Rescue 1122] officials. Also, a service structure has been approved. This should allow the officials to be promoted,” says Director-General Dr Rizwan Naseer.

Naseer insists that the service must be hailed for its heroic work, especially during the pandemic. He says that the service was certified for its fine credentials by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), an organisation supervised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The writer is a journalist based in Lahore