Under the auspices of Lt. General H.H Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Sha’far, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior, inaugurated the 4th Annual Fire Safety Technology Forum on Monday. The event was held at the YAS Viceroy Hotel in Abu Dhabi, as part the World Civil Defense Day’s celebrations.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Major General Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of H.H Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior for Resources and Support Services; Major General Staff Dr. Obeid Al Hiri Salim Al Kutbi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police; Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Acting Commander-in-chief of Civil Defense; and Mohammed Khalfan Matar Al Rumaithi, Director General of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA); along with a number of leaders and directors general of civil defense in the country, civil defense senior officers and guests from inside and outside the State.
Lt. General Al Sha’far and the attendees watched a documentary film featuring a compilation of speeches by civil defense leaders from around the world, on the occasion of the World Civil Defense Day. They expressed their appreciation for the achievements of the Civil Defense Authority across the country, praising its advanced and professional level, and the civil defense officers’ performance.
In his speech at the inauguration ceremony, Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi stressed that the Ministry of Interior and the Directorate general of Civil Defense endeavor as per their strategic objective, to protect lives, property and the environment, through various awareness-raising scientific activities and field assignments. “They also strive to give peace of mind to all members of society, and strengthen their confidence in civil defense services. These goals are aligned just like every year, with the World Civil Defense day theme, celebrated this year under the slogan ‘Civil Defense and Culture of Prevention for a safer Society’,” he said
Major General Al Matroushi added: “This year’s celebration is marked by the myriad of distinguished legislative, technical, organizational, procedural and operational achievements made by the civil defense in the State. These achievements include implementing the 24x7 Smart Surveillance System in all buildings and facilities; implementing the Unified Emirates Code across all emirates; as well as the standard operating emergency procedures guidebook, pertaining to the professional procedures to manage incidents and crises. This has contributed to achieving the shortest response time in comparison to other countries in the region, and reducing the number and size of fire incidents per 100,000 people to the lowest levels compared with developed countries”.
“The UAE Civil Defense is forging ahead tirelessly as per the Ministry of Interior’s development strategy, to transform the main civil defense operations (serve, prevent, and fight) into an integrated package of smart services by 2021. It also strives to raise community awareness, implement the prevention and safety requirements in all buildings and facilities, as well as professional accident control and good management of crises and disasters,” noted Major General Al Matroushi.
“The UAE has acquired membership of the International Civil Defense Organization (ICDO)’s Executive Council in mid December 2012. This reflects the appreciation of ICDO members for the UAE's role as an active member in the orga