National recognition was conferred on a group of internationally certified search and rescue operators at the Disaster Management Center in Colombo on August 12.
Participants from the search and rescue programs conducted by A-PAD with instructors from the International Rescue Instructors Association received national recognition in Swift Water search and rescue.
The Search and Rescue Team included personnel from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force, Police, Civil Defence Force, Sri Lanka Life Saving, and the private sector.
The A-PAD International Symposium 2021 on Civil-Military Dialogue organized by the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management was held in Colombo strictly adhering to COVID-19 guidelines with limited physical participation and virtual global attendance.
The symposium was attended by the Director-General of the Disaster Management Center, Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe who said it is a responsibility of all to create a safer Sri Lanka and ensure that all citizens in the country are safe, protected, and looked after well.
Speaking on Sri Lanka’s current situation, the Director-General noted, “Human responsibility is entrusted to the military because that is the biggest human resource capacity that belongs to the government of Sri Lanka”.
“As long as the people want us, the military, to help them, we will be there. It is our responsibility,” he stressed.
The first Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Hoshiai Chiharu was the guest of honor along with Dr. Hemantha Herath, the Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services.
The Search and Rescue Group that underwent special training is ready to be deployed to any area that experiences massive floods in the country.
