Maj. Gen. Dr. Jassim Mohamed Al Marzooqi, Commander-in-Chief of Civil Defense, opened yesterday morning the virtual Advanced Firefighting and Rescue Course for GCC Officers organized by the Civil Defense Academy via video-conference technology. The event was attended by 32 members from the UAE, the KSA, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

Al Marzooqi stated that in the face of the current conditions sweeping all countries of the world following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, our energies and capabilities are devoted to knowledge transfer and experience exchange with representatives of Civil Defense Departments in the GCC in various firefighting and rescue scenarios.

He added that holding such courses is gives participants an opening to learn about the best international practices in civil defense, safety and civil protection. Al Marzooqi also highlighted that all these efforts aim to achieve the vision of the judicious leadership in protecting lives and property.

The Commander-in-Chief of Civil Defense then expressed his gratitude to the participants in the course, including officers from GCC states, and stressed the need to have concerted efforts in the civil defense sector in various parts of the world in ensure safe societies are maintained so that all people can live in security and peace.

The Advanced Firefighting and Rescue Course for GCC Officers tackled several topics, the most important of which are learning the approach to assessing civil defense risks involved in firefighting and rescue operations, identifying basic strategies and tactics for firefighting and rescue operations, and presenting firefighting and rescue operations for high-rising buildings and electric firefighting vehicles. The course also discussed escalator rescue operations and case studies presented in this respect.