The President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö awarded doctor Raed Arafat, SMURD founder, with the distinction of Commander in the Order of the Lion of Finland to show the appreciation for his entire activity in the Romanian public sector and for the good cooperation with Finland.
Ambassador of Finland Mrs. Päivi Pohjanheimo hosted a reception on the 16th of October, to congratulate Dr. Raed Arafat and to offer him the decoration on behalf of the President of the Republic of Finland. Members of the team which are managing the emergency situations in Romania were also attending the awarding ceremony.
Dr. Raed Arafat stated that together with him all these hardworking and devoted people are decorated because his efforts would mean nothing without their contribution. In her turn, Ambassador Päivi Pohjanheimo expressed in the name of Finland the gratitude for Mr. Arafat’s dedication and implication in all the projects that he and his team have made during the years.
Raed Arafat said that Finland is the best example regarding Emergency Services and Crisis Management and he would like to continue cooperation and learn from each other experience.
The Order of the Lion of Finland is one of the three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The Order was founded in 1942 to preserve the courage and dedication. The Lion of Finland is awarded for civilian and military merit.
SMURD is an emergency rescue service in Romania. The name is the Romanian acronym for “Serviciul Mobil de Urgențǎ, Reanimare și Descarcerare”, which means Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication. It was created and has been coordinated since its inception by doctor Raed Arafat. The first SMURD unit was created in Târgu Mureș, Transylvania in 1990.