25 new vehicles to boost civil defence
Around 25 new vehicles have been purchased by the Civil Defence, an official has announced
Abu Dhabi: Around 25 new vehicles have been purchased by the Civil Defence, an official has announced.
The 2012 Civil Defence budget included around Dh25 million to purchase vehicles and another Dh5 million for other needs and equipment.
New fire fighting vehicles and mobile operation rooms will be used by Civil Defence departments across the UAE, and will join a fleet of 45 advanced vehicles including two off-road vehicles; a fleet valued around Dh45 million, purchased over the past two years.
"The new equipment includes off-road vehicles to be used at tourist resorts, which will improve our response time to an emergency to six to eight minutes," said Lt Gen Rashid Al Matroushi, acting director general of the Civil Defence at a press conference yesterday.
The 2012 plan provides the outer regions with 50 per cent of off-road vehicles.
New devices
"Most of the new equipment was made locally, and according to the most advanced international guidelines," he added.
"This year, we have new devices to measure the carbon monoxide in the blood stream of firefighters, following a fire incident. Monitoring the carbon monoxide will allow us to decide his ability to function safely putting out other fires," Al Matroushi said. "We aim to reduce fires, injuries and health related to fire fighting by 15 per cent this year. Studies are underway to put in place unified awareness programmes across the country and to determine the best approaches to foster awareness among the society."
