ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Friday, October 11th 2013 [ME NewsWire]
The Directorate General of Civil Defense appealed to both citizens and residents to adhere to public safety and prevention requirements; providing a set of instructions that enhance safety and prevention, especially during Eid Al Adha holidays.
In a statement on the occasion, Major General Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, Acting Commander-in-chief of Civil Defense said: "Given the nature of the Civil Defense work, firefighting and rescue teams need to be constantly at the ready to quickly respond to incidents of fire and other accidents at any time and place.” He also pointed out that the Civil Defense provides on the spot humanitarian services to people in need.
Major General Al Matrooshi stressed the keenness of the Directorate General to educate the Civil Defense staff members on the values and principles of outstanding service, as per the Government's vision aimed at making the UAE a safe country, thanks to a professional Civil Defense entity capable of preserving life and property, and keen to achieve the highest standards of planning, efficiency, organization, professionalism, providing optimal service, sacrifice, and behavior.
"The Eid days witness a significant number of revelers who crowd public places to celebrate. This is the perfect opportunity to confirm readiness and responsiveness of the Civil Defense teams, whereas traffic reaches record peak at certain times of the day, especially near recreational areas. Not to mention the increased numbers of family visits, excursions and use of kitchens,” added Major General Al Matrooshi.
Major General Al Matrooshi called on families and community members to ensure that electric and gas cooking stoves in homes, restaurants and hotels are up to safety standards. He stressed the need to regularly check and change the gas piping and electrical wiring, clear ovens to prevent oil collection, prevent children from accessing kitchens unless supervised, to protect them against flames or hot pans.
He added: "Attention should be paid to ventilation ducts in kitchens that should be well cleaned to prevent oil collection from combustion due to overheating, which is a key factor in home and restaurant fires. Moreover, kitchen lighting should be sufficient.” Al Matrooshi also urged housewives to refrain from wearing baggy clothes; kitchen mittens and paper towels should be kept away from the stove and oven burners. "Special attention should be paid to children’s safety during the joys of the Eid festivities, by keeping them safe from the risks they may encounter inside and outside the house, such as playing with lighters, matches, insecticides, and other toxic detergents,” explained Major General Al Matrooshi.
He stressed the need to handle incense burners properly, by avoiding their contact with clothing or leaving them unattended, because clothes tend to quickly catch fire. He also advised parents not to prevent children from handling incense burners or lighting candles near flammable materials. "People should refrain from using indoor grills, as their poisonous fumes are equally dangerous as fires to human beings. They should also avoid pouring flammable liquids on stoves because the container could catch fire, thus causing serious burns to the person handling it. Furthermore, all individuals need to avoid overloading electrical wirings by operating a large number of devices and lights; this may cause the wirings to overheat and catch fire,” he noted. Concluding, he wished families travelling by land a safe trip, urging them to ensure that a handheld fire extinguisher is available in the vehicle while on the move.
Furthermore, the Acting Commander-in-chief of Civil Defense called on people wishing to go on land excursions to set up tents in safe places, close to roads and communication networks, so as to receive timely assistance in cases of emergency. He stressed the importance of keeping diesel generators away from tents, and to avoid filling the generators with fuel while they are running. He warned against setting up fire pits close to tents; noting the need to set them up against the wind, to prevent the tents from catching fire, and to have a fire extinguisher (powder) available, as well as an appropriate number of buckets for carrying sand. Furthermore, he indicated that light bulbs and wiring should be maintained at a sufficient distance from the tent’s fabric.
He also emphasized the need to have a proper first-aid kit available, including wound dressings, as well as ointments and medicine against insect and reptile bites; calling upon excursionists to take an adequate amount of water commensurate with the number of individuals taking part in the trip and the number of days expected. Furthermore, he stressed the need to inform parents or friends of the excursion’s exact location and the return date, checking the vehicle’s mechanical and electrical condition, and inspecting the oil, fuel and cooling water levels.
Concluding, he called on community members not to hesitate to request assistance from the Civil Defense at any time, for the purpose of firefighting and rescue operations on the emergency number 999 or 997.
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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Contacts
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media
Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317
E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com
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