ISLAMABAD-Capital Development Authority (CDA)s Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management Monday organised an event in connection with the World Firefighters Day 2009. The event included fire and rescue drills, flag march and distribution of prizes and certificates among the families of fire fighters who lost their lives in the fire incidents of Gakkhar Plaza Rawalpindi and Marriott Islamabad. The event aimed at commemorating the firemen who made tremendous sacrifices in fire incidents across the world. MuslimAid International, Network for Human and Social Development (NHSD) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also collaborated with the CDA in arranging the event. In his address, CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan said that realizing the dire need of dedicated fire and rescue services, CDA established a separate directorate on modern lines. He said the trained staff and state-of-the-art equipment were being provided in the directorate so that massive losses in terms of precious lives and properties could be minimized in cases of fire incidents. CDA DG Civil Services Mustafain Kazmi said that he took the establishment of Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate on modern lines as a challenge. He said that an 86-membered urban search and rescue team had been established while Rescue 1122 service had been provided at 9 centres. Kazmi said that the directorate, in collaboration with the stakeholders would start a 3-months awareness campaign to inform masses on timely acquiring the rescue services provided by the authority. Country Director MuslimAid Khubaib Wahidi announced that MuslimAid would provide educational support to the children of the 13 martyred firefighters of the Gakkhar Plaza incident. The martyred fire fighters were our heroes and it was our responsibilities to provide all out support to their children and families, he further said. At the end of the ceremony, shields were distributed among the relatives of the 13 firefighters who lost their precious lives during the catastrophic incidents of fire in Ghakkar Plaza Rawalpindi and Marriott Hotel Islamabad. On the other hand, certificates and prizes were distributed among brilliant firefighters and fire instructors. Later, CDAs fire tenders launched flag march from the Convention Center Islamabad, which took round of the whole city. Chairman CDA and other guests examined and departed the flag march from Convention Centre.