DUBAI // Civil Defence plans to extend its jurisdiction to include free zones across the country.
At the emergency service's Customer Service Conference on Sunday, Maj Gen Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, the director general of the federal body, said one of its plans for early next year was to take a closer look at safety in free zones. "There is no place out of our jurisdiction when safety is concerned," Maj Gen Al Matrooshi said.
He added that they were cooperating with the Ministry of Labour to ensure all those applying for visas as building security personnel would receive training and certification from Civil Defence.
It will also become mandatory for all companies to ensure that at least 5 per cent of their staff have completed fire-safety training, he added. "Any plan has to start with an inspection to determine the problem and this is the right way to start," said Thomas Bell-Wright, the chief technical officer for an international consultancy that conducts independent quality assurance on exterior walls of large buildings and tests fire resistant materials and fire containment systems.
"Each building will be different and if they can identify the buildings at a greater risk, then they can start to address the problem. We are 100 per cent supportive of these initiatives."
rtalwar@thenational.ae
