Al-Attiyah opens new civil defence headquarters

By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter HE the Chairman of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, Abdulla bin Hamad al-Attiyah, inaugurated yesterday morning the new headquarters of the General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD) at Wadi Al Sail. HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and HE the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani attended the inauguration alongside GDCD director Staff Brigadier Abdullah Mohamed al-Suwaidi and other senior officials of the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Brigadier al-Suwaidi accompanied al-Attiyah and the other dignitaries on a tour inside the buildings of the new headquarters explaining how it functions and showed them the new equipment and fire trucks at the facility. Further, two demo rescue operatiosn were conducted by the Civil Defence personnel. The first one was to save some persons trapped in a damaged vehicle following a traffic accident and the other was on an 55m high escalator. “We have seen today the complete readiness of the personnel to deal with any emergency and the high level of training that qualify them to undertake their duty,” pointed out al-Attiyah. He said the Ministry of Interior has recently witnessed great developments on all levels especially at the Civil Defence with comprehensive coverage all over the country. He also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser in this respect. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser said that this new building is considered among the largest and most sophisticated of the Interior Ministry’s buildings. He also pointed out that the personnel of the Civil Defence have become ready in dealing with all types of materials including chemicals and ones with radiation. “The work of Civil Defence is not limited to fire extinguishing and rescue operations, there is also the building of the protection department which offers the applicants of the engineering offices various services easily accessible through the electronic means regarding the requirements of building permits,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser. He pointed out that the Ministry of Interior is proud to have more than 37 Qatari engineers, graduated this year, working with GDCD. Further, he stressed the enforcement of the new law of the Civil Defence explaining that it has treated all related issue comprehensively and in detail indicating the related penalties and regulations. “We work as one team in MoI. In the near future, we will announce the opening of the new buildings of the Traffic Department, Public Guards Department, and  the Police Training Institute and the attached police college, which receives the first batch by the end of 2014,” he said. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser explained that Interior Ministry has currently more than 13 service centres around the country that offer the public various services including traffic and residency processing issues. Brigadier al-Suwaidi pointed out that the new headquarters comprises the four working departments of the Civil Defence, fire prevention department, logistics department, administrative department and operations department. It was designed to provide training and technical support as well as equipment maintenance through the workshops there. “The building has a comprehensive fire station considered the largest in the Middle East and provide all the needs of the personnel on duty around the clock,” he said. Brigadier Adullaziz al-Ansari, director of logistics department, Interior Ministry, said that this building is unique as it encompasses comprehensive facilities and it was built at a cost of around QR285mn. It convers an area of 30,000sqm. He said that it has a five-story complex with two underground parking areas enough for around 200 cars. The facility is made up of four buildings such as main building of the Civil Defence, the Club, Wad Al Sail fire station and a mosque. The recreation club for Interior Ministry personnel has a play hall, library, auditorium enough for 256 persons and a swimming pool, rest area, admin offices and billiard facility, while the Wad Al Sail fire station mainly consists of operation room, a training centre, accommodation for 30 staffers and the biggest fire station in the country. This station covers the towers area, Dafna, and the surround areas. It would also complement and support the work of other stations around the country.