13 UAE emergency rescue teams out to save ‘car accident victims’

Dubai: A car flips over on a road barrier with the driver being injured and trapped inside. A rescue team arrive and quickly removes the door using a hydraulic cutter. The driver is pulled out of the mangled vehicle and transferred into an ambulance.

The mock drill at Dubai Police’s Al Ruwaiyah Training field is as close as it gets to a real life situation with Emirati rescue teams testing their fitness and rescue skills this week.

The three-day event bbeing held till February 20 was organised by Dubai Police featuring 13 teams from across the UAE in cooperation with the World Rescue Organisation.

Teams are participating in 26 standard and complex scenarios of rescuing people trapped inside cars after traffic accidents.

Brigadier Mohammad Al Razooqi, director of the Rescue and Transport Department at Dubai Police, said the challenge will include different scenarios.

“About 50 cars will be used in the 26 scenarios. Cars will either flip over or be placed in difficult situations like cement blocks to test the ability of the rescue teams in the country,” Brig Al Razooqi said.

Eight judges will reward points to each team in order to choose the winner by Thursday.

“Teams will enter the scenario without knowing what happened. They need to estimate the situation on arrival at the scene and put their plan of rescue into action,” Brig Al Razooqi.

On the first day of the challenge, rescue teams from different police departments and the Civil Defence conducted a complex rescue mission for two injured people in a car accident.

“The challenge will help us in forming a team to compete in international rescue challenges in the future. We hope to make it an annual challenge to increase the level of readiness among rescue teams,” he said.

Meanwhile, Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Assistant Commander-in-chief of Operations, said the challenge is part of Dubai Police’s strategy to enhance the work of rescue teams in the country during emergencies.

The UAE Rescue Challenge is being held under the patronage of His Highness Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.