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MULTAN, Dec 05 (APP): The Minister for Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, congratulated the winning team of the International Volunteer Day CERT Challenge 2025.
He was the Chief Guest of the Ceremony of International Volunteer Day CERTs Challenge held at Emergency Services Academy here on Friday. Multan CERTs team got the first position and becoming the CERT of the year 2025 in the International Volunteer Day CERTs Challenge, CERT team Toba Tek Singh secured second position while China & Gujrat remained on third position.
He paid tribute to the volunteer teams across Pakistan including the 02 volunteer teams from China and especially appreciated the 13 women teams who qualified for this challenge by winning at their respective community levels.
While speaking at the closing ceremony, Khawaja Salman Rafiq said that volunteerism is a noble endeavor across all religions and particularly in Islam, volunteerism & service to humanity are always regarded with high esteem. Mother Teresa and Abdul Sattar Edhi are the great examples of volunteerism and service to humanity. He said, “I myself began my life journey as a volunteer. The work you are doing is the work of the government, society and the nation should honor and respect you.” He said, “The Emergency Services Academy where we are standing has a legacy of sacrifices, whether in firefighting, patient transfer services or flood rescue operations having made history with their courage and dedication.” The martyrdom of rescue officer in district Narowal and firefighters in Lahore stands as remarkable precedents of selfless services. The Minister further said that the Punjab government is working round the clock on public welfare initiatives and will soon launch an internship program for students in Rescue 1122. He added that the launch of the Air Ambulance Service, expansion of Motorway Ambulance Service and addition of new ambulances have significantly improved overall emergency response and capacity of Punjab Emergency Service (PES).
The Secretary Emergency Services, Dr. Rizwan Naseer congratulated the champion Community Emergency Response Teams on winning the challenge and said that trained rescue scouts and volunteers can play a crucial role in saving lives during emergencies and disasters. He said the mission of the Emergency Services is to ensure that every home has at least one lifesaver, so that timely action can save precious lives.
Dr. Rizwan Naseer added that the Punjab Emergency Service (PES) has trained over 200,000 volunteers in life-saving skills and the International Volunteer CERTs Challenge 2025 is an example that these trained citizens are ready at the union council level to assist in management of emergencies & disasters. He said that since inception of the service, the PES (Rescue 1122) has provided emergency services over 19 million victims, while the Fire & Rescue Service has responded to over 277,000 fire incidents and saved losses worth over Rs. 760 billion through professional firefighting, setting an exemplary fire emergency service. He also lauded the agreement between Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) and the Scottish Fire Service, stating that this collaboration has played a key role in establishing a world-class fire & rescue service in Pakistan.
The British High Commission, Head of Lahore Office in Pakistan, Mr. Ben Warrington congratulated the winning teams while addressing the closing ceremony of the International Volunteer Day CERT Challenge 2025 and lauded the performance of all 61 volunteer teams participating in the challenge, stating that volunteers are the true heroes of society. He emphasized that the presence of Chinese teams demonstrates that in emergencies and disasters, borders do not matter humanity and the spirit of saving lives are what truly count. He said that British High Commission has long been a partner in the support of Rescue 1122 and will continue to contribute meaningfully to its training programs, experience exchange and disaster preparedness efforts.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Ziaullah Shah, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services, dedicated the day to the volunteers.