A new law which will take effect on August 1 will make it mandatory for watchmen to hold Civil Defence certificates after attending training courses in fire alarms, evacuation and fire extinguishers. Ali Al Sayed Ibrahim, Director of Dubai Civil Defence, said any watchman who fails to produce the certificate will face prosecution.

He said in some building fires serious injuries result simply because watchmen do not know of how to cope. The certificate, renewable each year, must be obtained from Dubai Civil Defence after attending a two-day awareness and training programme at the Al Aweer Civil Defence Training Centre.