With 150 Competitors from 13 Countries; 8 Female Emiratis, a First-ever Participation

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Friday, March 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Civil Defense in Abu Dhabi, will be organizing the UAE International Firefighter Challenge 2014, in collaboration with the 911 Occupational Safety and Fire Fighting Training Company. This event will take place on April 1-3, 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

As many as 150 male and female competitors from 13 countries from around the world and the region will be taking part in the competitions. This year's event, touted the largest of its kind worldwide, features the first-ever women's participation in such competitions with 8 female Emirati competitors. The competition is a 2-minute grueling race against time, which tests participants’ strength, challenge and dedication to safeguard lives and property.

Organizing the UAE International Firefighter Challenge is the culmination of the UAE efforts to enhance firefighters' skills and abilities, in light of the great challenges faced by the more than 5000 firefighters in the UAE. These challenges require firefighters to show the utmost physical, mental, and professional readiness to handle the increasing numbers of emergencies, associated with the strong growth and boom in the UAE aviation, tourism, construction, and industrial sectors. Additionally, this event is part of the UAE-based 911 Occupational Safety and Fire Fighting Training Company’s future plans and initiatives to support, empower, and develop the firefighting and rescue sector in the UAE and the Middle East region.

It is worth mentioning that the championship includes several competitions performed by firefighting and rescue members, who must show strength, stamina and fitness while performing the tasks, with protective clothing and equipment and the self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The UAE International Firefighter Challenge is a series of tournaments and competitions that include five categories: singles, doubles, relays, females, and teams. The competitions include 6 key tasks: stair climbing, hose hoisting, forcible entry, hose advancing, and victim rescue. Participants will compete to win prizes totaling AED 500,000.

"Organizing this championship in Abu Dhabi aligns with the emirate’s strategy to promote safety and security by enhancing readiness of firefighting teams in the UAE," said Major General Staff Dr. Obeid Al Kutbi, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee for the International Security, Safety and National Resilience Exhibition and Conference (ISNR Abu Dhabi 2014). "It also provides the opportunity for regional and international participants to communicate and exchange international best practices."

"The championship, which will attract a significant public and media turnout, will enhance community members’ awareness about the heroic role played by firefighters in difficult and emergency situations," added Major General Staff Al Kutbi. "This would boost the public’s confidence, and encourage the youth to join this sector in the future."

Major General Staff Dr. Obeid Al Kutbi encouraged all entities and individuals participating in (ISNR Abu Dhabi 2014) to show discipline and good behavior. He also called upon them to collaborate to ensure the success of this event and to reflect a distinguished image that befits the UAE’s prestigious stature and the MoI’s excellence.  Major General Staff Al Kutbi made this statement in the presence of Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Civil Defense Acting General Commander-in-chief; Brigadier Fares Khalifa Al Farsi, Director General of Guards and Special Tasks at Abu Dhabi Police; the heads of the subcommittees; and participants of ISNR Abu Dhabi 2014.

For his part, Mohammed Al Ahmadi, CEO of the UAE-based 911 Occupational Safety and Fire Fighting Training Company, said: "As a national company, we are extremely honored to organize this largest-of-its-kind championship in the world, which complements the efforts to raise awareness about firefighting in the UAE." He also added that "the first-ever participation on the Middle East level of 8 Emirati female competitors in the challenge proves to the whole world the well-deserved and prestigious stature of Emirati women in all police and sports activities. Not to mention that the UAE is one of the very few countries in the world that recruit women to work as firefighters."

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Abu Dhabi Police, please click HERE

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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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