Milipol highlights Civil Defence's preparedness to deal with emergencies

Milipol Qatar 2021 has highlighted the General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD)’s preparedness to serve Qatar while dealing with emergencies.The Civil Defence pavilion at Milipol, being held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, showcases the latest equipment and mechanisms to deal with emergencies. Among them is the rescue and rapid response vehicle that has a number of special features.Lieutenant-Colonel Jabir Mohamed al-Marri, head of the media and awareness section at the GDCD, said the vehicle is a new addition to the force. It can further facilitate rescue and response services, including fire fighting. “Speed and ability to make urgent interventions make these vehicles special. We have five small vehicles while three big vehicles are ready to serve,” Lieutenant-Colonel al-Marri said, adding that more such vehicle will be added. He explained that these vehicles were brought in as part of the preparations to serve the venues of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.The official said the vehicles can facilitate dealing with emergencies as the small ones will have easy access to places like basements while the big ones can fight fire outbreaks and other emergencies in multi-storeyed buildings and stadiums. The Civil Defence pavilion also exhibits latest technologies that the force uses to deal with accidents and emergencies, while emphasis is also laid on raising awareness and spreading safety tips. “We are looking to establish a safety culture among various segments of society while attending exhibitions like this,” he said.As part of World Civil Defence Day, the directorate, under the theme of ‘Civil Defence and a first aider in every home’, is carrying out special campaigns in order to preserve the safety of the people in the homeland by educating family members and instilling safety concepts in them. “A one-year training awareness programme is going on and it targets school students, commercial complexes and State ministries. These are aimed to provide awareness of safety and security procedures in every home,” he added.