Dubai initiative prevents 45,000 fire deaths a year

Dubai: Dubai Civil Defence’s Billion Readiness initiative has contributed to an 18 per cent reduction in fire incidents worldwide, alongside significant improvements in emergency response and safety outcomes, senior officials said on Wednesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Dr Issa Ahmed Al Mutawa, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for the Smart Services Sector at Dubai Civil Defence, said the initiative was launched with the ambitious goal of educating and training one billion people globally within four years.

He said the initiative has already exceeded expectations in less than a year, reaching more than half a billion people worldwide, surpassing projections set by experts and programme teams.

According to Al Mutawa, the initiative has expanded to 59 countries, delivered in more than 25 languages, and implemented through 68 global awareness campaigns, generating over 250 million digital interactions.

“These figures reflect the initiative’s global reach and the effectiveness of its awareness and engagement tools,” he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Al Mutawa noted that the impact of the initiative has translated into measurable real-world results, including a 24 per cent improvement in global response times and a 25 per cent reduction in human losses, equivalent to saving approximately 45,000 lives annually.

Material losses were also reduced by 20 per cent, amounting to more than $50 billion, he said, describing the figures as losses avoided and resources redirected from recovery efforts to sustainable development.

“These outcomes reaffirm that real investment is in people, knowledge and collective action,” Lieutenant Colonel Al Mutawa said, adding that the achievements were the result of international cooperation, not the efforts of a single country.

He stressed that the UAE views partnership as a responsibility and human protection as a priority, noting that safety “is achieved through action and commitment, not slogans”.