Employees of Abu Dhabi Media were introduced to the correct way of contacting ambulance teams when needed, and the correct actions to take while awaiting the responding medical team.
The Ambulance Section of the Emergency and Public Safety Department held a workshop at Al Ittihad Newspaper and TV building to give employees insight into ambulance aid and its role to boost security and safety awareness of individuals, as well as the knowledge of how to handle emergency situations.
The Ambulance Section conducted an awareness campaign titled: “Ambulance and Community” targeting community members. It included awareness lectures, seminars and workshops, and introduced the services of the Section.
Colonel Mohammed Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Director of Emergency and Public Safety Department said that the “Ambulance and Community” campaign is the largest awareness and educational initiative of its kind, addressing all community members, regardless of culture and language. He added that it will pursue its objectives with no preset deadlines, to introduce people to the role of ambulance services that are able to provide aid thanks to the trained medical teams that adhere to the highest standards.
Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim Al Ameri, Deputy Director of Emergency Medical Aid and Public Safety at Abu Dhabi Police, stated that the targeted audience, including both public and private sectors, school students and public welfare associations, benefitted from the workshop lectures regarding first aid, contacting ambulance teams, handling minor domestic accidents, and managing emergency health complications.
Major Buti Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Head of the Ambulance Section, emphasized that the awareness and educational campaign aims to spread benefits and knowledge by conveying correct information directly to the audience, in many languages. This method of presenting information is the most effective and helps to teach the correct and best actions to take in such emergency cases.
Al Mazrouie clarified that the police leadership is keen on the importance of the human role of Abu Dhabi Police in general, and the Ambulance Section in particular, contributing to providing diverse services to all of the emirate’s citizens, thus reducing accident risks and fatalities.
First Lieutenant Mohammed Nasser Al Bahri, Head of Abu Dhabi Ambulance Section, enlightened the employees of Abu Dhabi Media about ambulance roles in boosting public safety to both nationals and residents, preserving lives and possessions, reducing mortality rates, raising awareness, and improving ambulance response time as per international standards. Al Bahri also reviewed the phases of establishing and developing service standards in the Ambulance Unit, which work 24/7.
He further explained to the attendees the steps to follow to call the free emergency hotline 999, through which the Central Operations Room receives reports round the clock. He explained that ambulance vehicles are only used in emergency medical cases, like heart attacks, asthma attacks, losing consciousness, work injuries, child birth, falling from high places, and traffic accidents. He reminded the audience that an unnecessary call to the Ambulance Section may deprive someone who is in urgent need of this service.
He also pointed out that the caller can help reduce response time, which is the time interval from receiving the report until the ambulance reaches the caller’s location, by remaining calm when making a report and to be accurate.
Response times should not exceed ten minutes regardless of the circumstances. Al Bahri went on to say that there hindrances to ambulance’s response exposing the victim to serious health risks. These hindrances include: describing the location inaccurately, road closures and detours, as well as vehicles not paving the