Abu Dhabi: The General Directorate of Civil Defence launched its awareness plan for 2017 at a press conference held at the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday.
The awareness plan aims to enhance and consolidate preventive public security and safety measures in curbing risks and challenges, and raise awareness in society about necessary procedures and actions that should be taken for their own safety.
“The awareness plan will include intensifying and disseminating safety and preventive campaigns on actions that need to be taken upon a fire breakout, such as evacuating a building, extinguishing fire and identifying the types of fire extinguishers and how to use them,” said Major-General Jasem Al Marzouqi, general commander of the Civil Defence in the Ministry of Interior.
Awareness campaigns will be carried out on TV, radio and print media, social media platforms and publications issued by the Civil Defence, as well as during events organised by the Civil Defence, in cooperation with government and private institutions.
“The plan will also identify the necessary safety steps to be taken at petrol stations and homes, and will include campaigns for mosque imams and special preparations for the winter season, including the launch of winter camps campaign, as well as focusing on campaigns about home smoke detector and crowd management in accidents,” he said.
Awareness campaigns will also be held across all schools under the Khalifa Student Empowerment Programme — ‘Aqdar’ — by providing awareness lectures by specialists and preparing guides and awareness material to inculcate safety and preventive principles and guidelines for students, and nurture awareness in young generations.
Workers in industrial facilities will also be guided on the proper implementation of safety rules and regulations at the facility, the importance of utilising personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid injuries, and how to act in emergencies.
Major Al Marzouqi said that special programmes and awareness campaigns are being designed to reach out to families through trained, qualified and equipped teams, stressing that prevention of fires at homes can only happen when families have the necessary awareness, readiness and motivation to act promptly and protect their lives.
He added that new initiatives have been introduced to the awareness plan, such as preparing awareness videos broadcast on TV and Civil Defence’s social media platforms, as well as holding summer courses for school students and courses for housewives on the safety and preventive measures and guidelines to raise awareness about potential surrounding risks and dangers.
The plan also includes participating in international events, such as International Women’s Day, Gulf Traffic Week, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, World Civil Defence Day, along with other international events.
It aims to raise awareness among society of the importance of abiding by safety and preventive rules.
Major Al Marzouqi pointed out that the public awareness plans that have been implemented lately have contributed significantly to the decline of fire incidents and fire-related casualties.
The awareness plan is aligned with a clear vision and mechanism, and is designed in a simple, concise and straightforward manner to reach out to the public easily, to identify the dangers and risks that individuals can be exposed to when an incident occurs, and the necessary steps that should be taken to save one’s life, he said.
