Civil Defence pull all stops to keep the pandemic at bay
“We worked tirelessly to disinfect Dubai. Some areas were disinfected more than once. Compared to the dangers we have to handle on a daily basis, this was an easy task.”
Major General Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi | Director-General, Dubai Civil Defence
Even under normal circumstances, Dubai firefighters and Civil Defence personnel have to be in a state of high alert to respond to any fire or accident or any other emergency situation that can pose a serious threat to life and property. So, in March 2020, when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Covid-19 crisis a global pandemic, like Civil Defence and health workers all over the world, Dubai Civil Defence personnel too knew they had a massive task on their hands. And their state of preparedness paid off — in every sense of the term.
Major General Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence (DCD), told Gulf News that, once orders were issued to disinfect the emirate, his department was 100 per cent ready — thanks to the advance planning by his teams.
“Dubai Civil Defence deals with fires and accidents almost every day. So, when the pandemic hit the world, we were ready to respond. In 2017, we had drawn up a plan and conducted a training programme on how to deal with epidemics. Anticipating future threats and challenges helped us deal with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Maj Gen Al Matrooshi during an exclusive interview with Gulf News.
During the first few days of the disinfection and sterilisation drive in March 2020, fire engines were modified at DCD’s workshops to disinfect the city.
The entire team was also ready for its usual duty of responding to incidents of fire and other civil rescue missions. According to official statistics, firefighters extinguished 89 fires in buildings, as well as 53 car fires and conducted 76 rescue missions during this period of the pandemic.
Fire engines were equipped with disinfectants and these vehicles drove all around the city, with the Civil Defence personnel onboard in full protective gears.
“Since the beginning of Covid-19, our force was engaged with activities in disinfecting the city. We completed 90 per cent of the disinfection drive, beside dealing with fires and educating the workers on the protective measures to curb Covid-19,” he said. He said they even contacted the fire engine companies to add an option in future vehicles to include spray pipes under the vehicles so that they can come in handy during epidemics.
“We worked tirelessly to disinfect Dubai. Some areas were disinfected more than once. Compared to the dangers we have to handle on a daily basis, this was an easy task,” he added.
The operation was conducted following highest international standards, as 75,000 litres of sterilisation fluid were used every day.
According to Al Matrooshi, the appreciation and support from society during the national sterilisation programme encouraged his personnel to work round the clock to bring life back to normality. Dubai Civil Defence provided 66 smart services to customers to ensure there was no need for their personnel to visit the sites physically.
The appreciation and support from society during the national sterilisation programme encouraged his personnel to work round the clock to bring life back to normality.