26,000 rescue missions conducted in Dubai

dubai — The Dubai Police have conducted 26,527 maritime and land rescue missions in 2016, up from 24,860 rescue missions in 2015. Of these, 26,237 were land rescue missions while 290 were sea rescue operations. And due to the proper distribution of the rescue teams, the average response time to an emergency was 12 minutes, said Brigadier Dr Mohammed Nasser Al Razzuqi, Deputy Director of the General Department of Transport and Rescue of the Dubai Police. Rescue officials are available 24X7 to deal with any kind of emergency, he said.

Al Razzuqi said that the department provided training to staff on a regular basis to deal with various types of rescue situations, using the latest technology in various types of land and maritime accidents.

Lt-Col Juma Ahmed Butti Al Falasi, director of search and rescue department at the Dubai Police, said that the rescue teams last year dealt with 188 land accidents that resulted in 392 injuries, 66 deaths and 326 sustained medium and minor injuries, while in 2015, 190 land accidents resulted in 350 injuries and 51 deaths. He said majority of the rescue work carried out by the department included extricating road accident victims from their vehicles, rescuing people who got lost in the desert and rescuing people trapped in homes or elevators.

Al Falasi said that rescue teams dealt with 64 maritime accidents in 2016, where one person died and 72 were injured, compared to 56 accidents during the year 2015, with 69 injured and two dead .

He said that the Dubai Police are ready to deal with any kind of emergency on all beaches.