Prominent among the displays at the annual Intersec Exhibition are two unique vehicles customised for the use of Dubai Civil Defence.
The first, a Hummer H2, has been outfitted as the Leading and Control Car for the director of the civil defence department.
Brigadier Rashid Al Matroushi, Director of Dubai Civil Defence, told Emirates Today: "This car does multiple tasks at the same time and has a variety of features and capabilities." According to Al Matroushi, the main purpose of the car's design is to keep the civil defence leader updated with and connected to all available information about any accident, as well as enable him to record vital information and pass it on to other parties involved in relief and rescue operations.
"The car has a 250-litre water and foam container in the rear, which can be used in firefighting. It also has an electric dynamo to power the water pump, along with special firefighting materials and a first-aid kit," Al Matroushi added.
The vehicle is equipped with monitoring cameras and recording systems to film disaster sites and rescue operations, as well as enhanced wireless connection through satellites to broadcast what it records and even put the information on the internet.
"It also has 500 television channels and is connected to and monitored by the central operation room. It is networked to other disaster management nodes by mobile tera-equipment," he said.
The other vehicle is the Dangerous Materials Unit, equipped to handle chemical and radioactive substances.
Al Matroushi said that Dubai's rapid industrial growth has created an increasing demand for hazardous industrial and medical chemicals, which has necessitated the civil defence to formulate a separate plan and provide appropriate equipment to deal with any accidents involving such materials.
"That is why the Dubai Civil Defence has equipped itself with a special vehicle called the Dangerous Materials Unit," Al Matroushi said.
He added that the purpose of this vehicle is to ensure industrial safety and deal with accidents involving hazardous chemicals in factories and other establishments.
Al Matroushi said: "This vehicle has several duties, chief among which are quick intervention in case of any chemical spillage as well as natural disasters, participate in putting off fires in industries, laboratories and warehouses and combat radiological and chemical leak accidents." It will also be used to randomly collect and test industrial waste and the air in the industrial zones.
By Muna Ahmad
© Emirates Today 2007
