The officials of the General Directorate of Civil Defence during the event. Abdul Basit © The Peninsula
The Ministry of Interior represented by the General Directorate of Civil Defence observed yesterday the International Civil Defence Day, which falls on March 1 every year.
The theme of this year’s World Civil Defence Day is ‘Civil Defence and a First Aider in Every Home’.
“The General Directorate of Civil Defence added 11 fire trucks to its fleet late last year, in addition to 23 other vehicles that were contracted, which will come successively during the current year, all of which work in the field of extinguishing and protecting buildings and towers, rescuing accidents and land-based places, and dealing with chemicals,” said Brigadier Hamad Othman Al Duhaimi, Director General of Civil Defence.
Speaking to reporters yesterday about the event which was held at the Officers Club in the presence of a number of officers, he announced the launching of one year training and awareness programme, targeting school students, commercial complexes, and state ministries, aiming to achieve this year’s theme of “Civil Defence and a First Aider in Every Home”.
In his speech, Brigadier Al Duhaimi, said that the observance of the International Civil Defence Day aims to deliver a message to the community on the importance of intensifying individual efforts alongside the efforts of civil defence authority in protecting lives and property.
Al Duhaimi added that the Civil Defence cadres are well-trained in firefighting and rescue operations. “The Directorate recognises that the human safety is the most important priority and works with serious steps to improve the mechanism for carrying out these tasks while consolidating efforts to create a safety culture among different segments of society.”
Brigadier Al Duhaimi called on all components of civil society to cooperate with the efforts of the General Directorate of Civil Defence to activate this year’s theme of “Civil Defence and a First Aider in Every Home” in order to preserve the safety of the people of the homeland by educating family members, and instilling safety concepts in them, and affirmation of the presence of one or more individuals, on knowledge of the most important measures to achieve safety and security, and to act in times of crises and disasters in a scientific manner.
The Head of Media and Awareness Section of the General Directorate of Civil Defence, Major Jabir Mohammed Al Marri, explained that the General Directorate of Civil Defence’s keenness to hold a celebration of Civil Defence Day every year, in cooperation with The International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO) which comes under the theme “Civil Defence and a first aider in every home”, aims to provide awareness and education in the safety and security procedures in every home.
He said that the mission of the General Directorate of Civil Defence and its related departments is to highlight the potential risks in homes, procedures for securing kitchens, heating tools, etc., through meetings, plans, and awareness programmes that work to activate this theme.
