Dubai:Under the patronage of His Highness Lt General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai Police, in cooperation with the World Rescue Organisation (WRO), is organising the UAE Rescue Challenge from 18th – 20th February 2020 at Al Ruwayaa Training City in Dubai. 

His Excellency Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, praised the continuous and generous support of His Highness Lt General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to the nation’s police, rescue, civil defence, and ambulance services. “Held for the first time in Dubai, the event is aimed at engaging and gathering national teams in search, rescue and ambulance from the seven emirates to spread the spirit of solidarity, collaboration and respect, and providing a competitive atmosphere across competitions designed to simulate realistic scenarios that range in the level of difficulty in accordance with international best practices” Maj-Gen Al Marri said. 

According to Brigadier Dr Muhammad Nasser Al Razooqi, Director of Transport and Rescue at Dubai Police, the organizing committee of the event seeks to provide a distinctive first version of the challenge in terms of allocation facilities equipped with the latest modern fixtures and equipment that reach the highest international levels in terms of organization and participation. 

Brigadier Al Razooqi indicated that 13 teams are participating in the challenge. The Abu Dhabi Police is participating with 3 teams including officers, paramedics and rescuers, Dubai Police with two teams, in cooperation with the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Sharjah Police with one team, and a team from RAK Police and 6 teams from the UAE Civil Defence. The National Ambulance will participate in each of the Sharjah, RAK and Civil Defense teams.

The UAE rescue challenge is divided into two competitions that simulate realistic scenarios namely the Standard Rescue Challenge and the Complex Rescue Challenge.

The Standard Rescue Challenge is a casualty-centred rescue operation which requires participating teams to demonstrate standard suite of rescue skills normally provided on the road and within a 20-minute time limit while maintaining the highest levels of safety for all individuals. 

Meanwhile the Complex Rescue Challenge requires participating teams to demonstrate broader range of road rescue skills required to release entrapments as well as to create safe zone for extrication within a 30-minute time limit while maintaining the highest levels of safety for all individuals. 

The UAE RESCUE CHALLENGE will also feature an international exhibitions of rescue equipment and supplies where rescue and ambulance technologies and equipment pioneers showcase their solutions and innovations that contribute to the advancement and development of practices and the readiness of rescue and ambulance teams.