Abu Dhabi: Around 70 per cent of all staff members at government organisations and institutions in the capital will be trained on how to perform first aid before paramedics arrive at the scene of an emergency, the Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday.

Over the course of three years, and in three phases, the ‘Be a Paramedic’ initiative conducted by the ministry’s Emergency and Public Safety Department will include training sessions on first aid, common health risks and how to use medical equipment in a bid to reduce the possibility of medical complications that may arise under urgent circumstances.

“The number of reports for medical emergencies are increasing at a rate of about 5,000 calls annually, with the rise of the emirate’s population and the public’s enhanced ability in communication,” said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Ebrahim Al Ameri, Director of the Emergency and Public Safety Department at Abu Dhabi Police.

“The training staff will be able to perform assessment on individuals’ readiness to handle emergencies. Additionally, all volunteers will be given brochures and pamphlets which they can use as a reference to refresh their memories in case they forget some of the information that was given to them,” Al Ameri added.

The Emergency and Public Safety Department also revealed that it is increasing the number of ambulance locations and staff in order to reduce their response time to four minutes by 2021.

Al Ameri also highlighted the ministry’s recent project for installing Automated External Defibrillators (AED) across the UAE’s most crowded locations such as malls, public parks, and government buildings.

“During the first phase, we placed 200 working devices at 20 institutions across the capital, with the most recent AEDs at Al Ain Zoo and UAE University. During the next phase, schools and government institutions will be targeted. So far, we have thankfully not received any reports that the device was needed to be used on someone,” he said.

AEDs are needed to revive those in cardiac arrest. The equipment is automated and its use is not restricted to those with a vast knowledge of medicine. Experts at the ministry have trained employees at the facilities at which the device was installed on how to respond to scenarios where the AED is required.

“Over the next five years, around 3,000 of these instruments will be ready at strategic locations across the UAE,” the official added.