Sharjah: Seven people were killed and 60 others, including 55 residents and five firefighters, injured in fires in Sharjah last year. The number of fires attended to by firefighters fell by 38.4 per cent last year as compared to 2015.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Sharjah Civil Defence gathering with strategic partners to generate ideas to improve and develop closer coordination among all partners and activate a number of initiatives especially in this Year of Giving.
Statistics presented at the event revealed dramatic improvements in fire-related incidents which placed Sharjah in a better position as compared to previous years.
Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, emphasised the importance of cooperation with strategic partners in order to fulfil the objectives of the Ministry of Interior for 2017-2021.
He said, “The Ministry of Interior has availed of every available potential, advanced technology and qualified human resources to promote the levels of response, preparedness and awareness, and enhance prevention efforts to address potential risks and challenges. These steps were carried out as per the integration doctrine that is based on cooperation, coordination and teamwork.”
The meeting also discussed a number of strategic initiatives and indicators designed to develop policing and security work and provide an integrated environment of happiness and positivity for employees and customers alike.
“Among the steps taken to reduce fire incidents, there is a plan to link all commercial and industrial establishments across the country to the Civil Defence operations room. The automatic alerts will also show the location of the fire,” said Col Al Naqbi.
“We are working to reduce the response time in line with the international standards. The response time in 2016 reached 7.4 minutes while the target was 5.5 minutes.”
Col Al Naqbi also pointed out the importance of spreading the culture of fire preventive safety by increasing awareness activities and programmes, involving community members and media outlets, including social media.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Sharjah Police, Planning and Survey Department, Public Works Department, Economic Development Department, Ports and Free Zone Authority, Sharjah Water and Electricity Authority, Roads and Transport Authority, Sharjah Municipality, University of Sharjah, Sharjah Education Zone, and Sharjah Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.
