Dubai training scheme leads to drop in fires

Authorities train more than one million workers in fire prevention

Officials from Dubai Civil Defence have said the successful training of more than one million workers has had a dramatic impact on fire prevention.

Maj Gen Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, director general of the authority, said numbers of fires had dropped by 8 per cent between 2015 and 2018.

The force began its five-year training plan on fire safety for employees right across the emirate in 2014.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of workers have completed courses on how to prevent fires as well as how best to respond when incidents do occur.

“It’s based on international standards and focuses on safety requirements for employees of factories, warehouses, and other places,” said Maj Gen Al Matrooshi.

“The decline is a result of these trained community members dealing directly and swiftly with fires when they start, before [our] arrival."

Statistics show that members of the public helped extinguish close to 250 fires in Dubai since the training began.

“One important point is that the million trainees will help pass down information about public safety to their families which will further spread knowledge and increase awareness,” Maj Gen Al Matrooshi said.