Sharjah: A smoking awareness campaign was held across a number of Sharjah Civil Defence units yesterday to focus attention on the fitness levels of employees.
"We want to decrease the rescue teams' response time to accidents by raising their fitness level, and one of the ways to do so is by making them quit smoking," Major Saeed Al Suwaidi from the Office of the Director General of Sharjah's Civil Defence explained.
The campaign was in line with goals set out by Sharjah Civil Defence of maintaining high safety standards and providing the best services, Maj. Al Suwaidi said.
He explained that the campaign, which included a lecture highlighting the dangers of tobacco and a test that showed the level of carbon monoxide and carboxyhaemoglobin in exhaled breath, was intended to raise employees' awareness about the dangers of smoking and to show them ways and places where they could seek help to quit.
Extreme environment
"Firefighters are responsible for maintaining their health and fitness levels as they are constantly exposed to various dangerous and toxic gases that negatively affect their bodies. We want the firefighters to be aware of how smoking decreases their abilities to withstand those gases and how the gases' negative effects are amplified if they are smokers," Dr Ebrahim Gabir, Head of Smoking Cessation Clinic, told Gulf News.
Gabir said that Sharjah Medical District holds smoking cessation campaigns in various governmental departments all year round. Sharjah pioneered smoking awareness campaigns in the country in 2002, he added.
The latest campaign saw various actitities held at Sharjah Civil Defence Head Office in Bu Tinah, besides Samnan Civil Defence, Khorfakkan Civil Defence and Kalba Civil Defence.
