08 July 2015
Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi-based Tawazun company has appointed AECOM tostart work onits1 square kilometerSafety Security and Disaster Management City known as Jaheziya

The agreement with AECOM was signed today by Jaheziya Chairman H.E.  Ali Mohamed Musleh Al Ahbabi and Vice President & Resident Manager of AECOM, Mr. Riad Zaki Al-Nashef. As part of the agreement, AECOM will work with Tawazun entities Jaheziya and Tawazun Industrial Park (TIP) in developing the new Tawazun Safety Security and Disaster Management City at ICAD IV in Mussafah.

Jaheziya will cover an area of approximately 1 square kilometres and will be designed and built as an Integrated Disaster Management City with multiple training wings and zones and support facilities including props and simulators. The facility will cover all the industries and sectors with a high degree of potential hazards such as Maritime, Rail Transport, Construction, Medical emergencies, Aviation, Industrial, CBRN & Hazmat, Fire Fighting Etc. The facilities will be supported by accommodation, and classroom facilities set in a community environment. 

H.E. Ali Al Ahbabi said: "Jaheziya is a very strategic project and has been perceived to evolve into the most sought after facility both in the region and internationally for multi-agency and intra/inter agencies training in  the  fields  of  safety,  security,  emergency  preparedness  and  crisis  and  disaster management. It is also the biggest of its kind in the region."

Eng. Faiz Al Nahddy, the CEO of Tawazun Industrial Park added:"Being part of the Jaheziya Development Program, we are pleased to add our project management experience to this project which will add to our national pride.Jaheziya is committed to leading the way in developing or enhancing the skills and sustaining the competencies of emergency responders and also in improving safety attitudes and implanting a safety culture in the workforce of the UAE and the region."

"Our mission is to be the preferred training facility in the region and beyond for theofficials or employees of governmental, quasigovernmental, and private agencies and  sectors in fields of safety, security, crisis and disaster management," saidJamal Al Shamsi, Jaheziya Managing Director.  He also added that the entire team is very pleased with having appointed AECOM as the consultants for the project.

Jaheziya is a training facility which is designed to re-enact and recreate past incidents  and perceived  future  threats  so  that  professionals  in  the  fields  of safety,  security,  emergencies  management,  crisis  and  disaster  management from the various agencies can train, communicate and interact with their counterparts while performing the operations in realistic settings. It serves as a platform to provide scenario-based training of single and multiple events in various training zones. 

"Initiated by Tawazun, Jaheziyais in line with our government's vision to sustain and enhance the nation's capacity and capability to protect its communities, assets and vital infrastructure for creating a ready and resilient nation in an ever-changing world.Jaheziya will provide training with local and international accreditation in line with the national and global standards and will be fully operational by 2019," added H.E. Saif Al Hajeri, the CEO of Tawazun.

Riad Nashif, executive vice president, Middle East and managing director, United Arab Emirates and Oman said: "AECOM is proud to partner with Tawazun Safety Security and Disaster Management City (TSSDMC) in providing project management and construction supervision services for their new disaster training facility in Abu Dhabi. This is a unique and challenging project that builds upon AECOM's 50-year record of contributing to the development of the UAE and upon our current works with the Abu Dhabi Government and the UAE military services.

H.E. Ali Al Ahbabi also noted that as part of an ambitious expansion program, Tawazun has acquired a new site in ICAD IV for the development of a new state-of-the-art facility. Jaheziyawill be in the fields of onshore and offshore rescue and firefighting, safety and emergency response, to national and international standards such as NFPA, IMO, OPITO, First Aid International, NTA and the UAE Civil Defence.

Jaheziya will work hand in hand with its stakeholders to develop the new city which will ideally offer training grounds to the armed forces, police forces, civil defence agencies, ministries and municipalities, port authorities, transport authorities, health authorities, oil and gas, energy, construction and other industry sector, nuclear and biological plants, and chemical factories, education councils, schools, colleges, higher education institutions, R&D centres, humanitarian aid agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

The new city is expected to be completely operational by year 2019.

-Ends-

About Jaheziya
Spread over 1 square kilometres of land to the south of Abu Dhabi, Jaheziya acts as a training ground for complex disaster management potential scenarios, bringing together multi-agency personnel from the armed forces, civil defence agencies, health authorities, humanitarian, non-governmental organizations and other agencies in the simulation of potential crises scenarios.

Jaheziya's unique facilities include a number of training wings that offer a range of scenario-based training programs which cover various aspects of emergency response in a number of different environments.

At Jaheziya, teams undergo scenario-based training, including natural or man-made incidents, such as earthquakes, building collapses, explosions, fires, flooding, oil spills, health epidemics, marine rescue and others that are identified as locally, regionally and globally-relevant today.

For more information:Saif Ali Al Marzooqi
Associate Director - Corporate Communications
Email: salmarzooqi@tawazun.ae

© Press Release 2015