Abu Dhabi: A fire drill titled Western Wind was recently conducted by the Civil Defence at Adnoc fuel station in Madinat Zayed, Abu Dhabi.
The mock scenario saw the suffocation of several workers at the gas station who were immediately provided with medical care by a team of paramedics, while civil defence teams were extinguishing the fire.
The exercise measured the readiness of civil defence teams and its designated partners in countering accidents and disasters.
Colonel Mohammad Abdul Jalil Al Ansari, director-general of the Civil Defence in Abu Dhabi said the drill exercise is part of the General Headquarters of the Civil Defence’s 2017 annual strategic plan and comes within the Ministry of Interior’s strategy in achieving top prevention and safety measures. It also ensures the preparedness and efficiency of civil defence teams in dealing with accidents or catastrophes and enhances the public trust in the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided by the civil defence, he added.
Colonel Hamad Saeed Al Reyami, director of Fire and Rescue Department, head of Evaluation and Efficiency Development and Centres Preparedness at the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Civil Defence said that upon receiving reports on the fire break out mock scenario, all civil defence units of the Western Region were dispatched to the accident site, along with ambulance vehicles, police patrols, and a team from the Crisis and Disaster Department in Abu Dhabi Police and Abu Dhabi Municipality to deal with the accident and contain the fire in a timely manner.
Major Ali Mabkhout Al Harthi, acting director-general of the Western Region Civil Defence, pointed out that the drill simulation exercise reflects a real lifetime scenario of potential accidents that might occur, as it assesses the performance of the teams taking part in the exercise and the level of coordination between supporting entities.
It also measures the level of readiness of rescue teams and reviews evacuation and reporting procedures, as well as assembly points, Al Harthi added.
