Nearly 3,000 fire evacuations in Abu Dhabi this year

The highest proportion of fire incidents in the country often start at the home of UAE residents.- Supplied photo

Abu Dhabi - Last month, the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence revealed that they are training Emirati housewives for fire prevention.

By Jasmine Al Kuttab

Published: Fri 17 Nov 2017, 5:30 PM

Nearly 3,000 fire evacuations have taken place in the Capital this year, a senior civil defence officer has revealed.
Major-General Jasim Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Commander-General of the Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), said that the total evacuation exercises carried out by the civil defence centres in Abu Dhabi amounted to 2,839 since the beginning of this year.
A total number of 941 fire evacuations took place during the first quarter of the year and 1,272 during the second quarter. The number for the third quarter stood at 626 evacuations.
He pointed out that the General Directorate of Civil Defence had prepared an integrated programme for evacuation plans for 2017 in cooperation with a number of governmental and private institutions for implementing the evictions safely and swiftly.
In a statement released by the civil defence, it stated that the standards of fire evacuations are according to the latest international practices, which include all sectors of government, trade, industry, education and health, in the areas of jurisdiction of civil defence centres throughout the Capital.
Major-General Al Marzouqi explained that the implementation of the evacuation exercises comes within the framework of the main awareness plan launched by the Civil Defence General Command in 2017 and within the framework of implementing a strategic system that ensures the authority's readiness to deal with fire accidents.
The initiative launched this year heavily focuses on the ability to cope with emergencies, and enhancing the efficiency in different locations, as well as measuring the time of response and the operation of each and every evacuation.
He explained that the evacuation exercises after reporting of fire incidents include ensuring all residents are evacuated to the assembly point of the building, ensuring no one is missing, and ensuring the civil defence vehicles at the scene as quick as possible to begin the process of putting out the fire.
Emergency teams also arrive at fire evacuation scenes to assist and rescue those injured from the fire.
There is also an immediate warning directing neighbouring buildings about the fire incident and which are the best and safest roads to access and exit.

Training for housewives

Last month, the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence revealed that they are training Emirati housewives for fire prevention - a first of its kind in the UAE. The highest proportion of fire incidents in the country often start at the home of UAE residents.
Major-General Jasim Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Commander-General of the Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), said the role of housewives is crucial when it comes to ensuring the home is a safe haven for the family, which is why raising awareness is imperative for the Civil Defence, particularly when it comes to educating children about the dangers of tampering with hazardous and flammable objects, such as lighters and matchsticks.
He said housewives must not risk their lives during a fire incident - but immediately contact the relevant authority for help.
"This course is created to spread the culture of awareness on fire prevention and safety among members of the community," said Major General Al Marzouqi.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com