Abu Dhabi: More than 50,000 houses across the UAE have already been surveyed as part of the Civil Defence's National Campaign for Families Domestic Safety.
The campaign was launched in December 2010 under the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and under the direct follow up of his Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
"We launched this campaign when we noticed that among statistical data compiled during a study performed by Civil Defence and other specialised laboratories, home fires make up the largest the percentage of fires compared to others, results in an increase in the size of losses, especially in human lives," Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, UAE's Civil Defence Acting Commander-in-Chief, explained.
"The aim of the study was to research the number of fire accidents in UAE during the last five years and their sizes," he added.
Teams representing Civil Defence branches across the country are visiting homes and performing surveys on residents' awareness and level of satisfaction about various safety aspects in their homes. Additionally, residents are provided with a selection of materials that discuss and highlight safety points around their homes.
"Since it began, we received many calls from the public. They ranged from queries about the campaign to several indicating their willingness to volunteer to help us with it. Some asked when we would be visiting their area and if it would be possible to come when they are at home, as they would like to get more information about what we are doing from our representatives," Al Matroushi said.
He also noted that the representatives will take suggestions provided by residents which may be used at a later date by the Civil Defence. However, business organisations are currently exempted from participating in the campaign.
Number of homes visited by the Civil Defence since December 2010
- Abu Dhabi 17, 315
- Al Ain 1, 377
- Western Region 580
- Dubai 15, 193
- Sharjah 7, 850
- Ajman 2, 522
- Um Al Quwain 1, 231
- Ras Al Khaimah 1, 575
- Fujairah 1,256
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