Dubai: The UAE aims to ensure the country has the world’s best firefighting response possible in an emergency, whatever the circumstances, a senior official said yesterday.
“This goal means that our firefighting stations across the country answer emergency calls and getting the right equipment and staff to an incident as quickly as possible to meet the best international standards,” said Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, acting commander general of the UAE Civil Defence.
He was speaking after launching a new standard operating procedures guide for the UAE Civil Defence on Thursday.
Maj Gen Al Matroushi said the new guide set international standards to provide firefighting and rescue services, so that commanders can evaluate the performance of their crews and individuals.
The guide, he said, also provides commanders and aid agencies with organisational protocols of mutual work in major incidents, crises and disasters.
Maj Gen Al Matroushi said risk management during incidents aims to achieve specific operational outcomes in a safe and effective manner within critical timescales, which includes fire and rescue operations and other emergency services firefighters have a role in.
“The Civil Defence measures the emergency response our firefighting stations provide against targets and our performance is scrutinised by the government,” he said.
Maj Gen Al Matroushi said civil defence commanders and staff are trained for the organisation and deployment of firefighting and rescue operations to the best internationally recognised standards at a wide range of incidents. This includes responding to fires but may include rescues from collapsed buildings, car and rail crashes, and other challenging scenarios.
