Dubai Civil Defence invents rescue boards to save lives
Stranded people can hold on to the boards and be pulled to safety
Dubai: Dubai Civil Defence has acquired the latest search and rescue technology, including rapid intervention vehicles for desert and mountainous areas.
The assests were on show recently at International Search and Rescue Conference and Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Also displayed was a multi-use rescue board, which is a specialised survival board used by emergency teams during search and rescue operations. It was made at the technical workshop of Dubai Civil Defence.
Brigadier General Ali Hassan Al Mutawa, Assistant Director-General for Fire and Rescue Affairs, said the participation of the General Directorate of Civil Defence in Dubai in the second session of the Exhibition came within the framework of its constant keenness to review the latest expertise and exchange experiences in the field of rapid response to accidents and search and rescue operations.
Rescue boards
The rescue boards can assist officials in the evacuation of flooded areas. He said the equipment can be used to reach people trapped in valleys and low-lying areas where boats or jet skis cannot be deployed fully.
The department has 12 such boards, and each can accommodate four people at a time. The boards can be attached to a rescue boat or jet ski and can be thrown to people who are trapped. They have hand straps that people can latch on to, and rescue teams and divers can pull the board and its passengers to safety.