Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, launched a strategic plan for the rescue and search teams for GCC countries and Jordan, at a ceremony held at the St Regis Hotel, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed presented the rescue and search teams for GCC countries and Jordan with Community Service medals in appreciation of their heroic and humanitarian roles.
The ceremony was attended by Lt General Saif Abdullah Al Sha'far, undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lt General Khalid Rakan Al Mekrad, director general of Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD), Major General Dr. Ahmed Nassir Al Raisi, Inspector General of the Ministry of Interior, Major General Abdul-Aziz Al Shareefi, Director General of Preventive Security at the ministry, and a number of senior police officers, and GCC official guests.
In his speech, Lt. Colonel Mohammed Abdul Jalil Al Ansari, Head of Rescue and Search Teams Development Committee in GCC countries and Jordan, spoke about the UAE’s willingness to raise the capacities of the teams to be the best internationally.
He also stressed on the importance of the strategic development plan adopted by the countries of the region, calling upon them to co-operate and commit to values of teamwork to achieve the desired goals as per international standards. In this regard, he cited the importance of practical training that complies with the requirements of the international organization for search and rescue.
Al Ansari said that an executive office will be established to follow the strategic plan, in addition to the launching of various initiatives in the region.
He also said that the strategic plan represents the right path for capacity building according to the highest international standards and in compliance with the International conventions in this regard while facing natural catastrophes around the world.
For his part, Brigadier Dr. Hmoud Al Faraj, Director of Civil Defense and commander of the Saudi Search and Rescue Team, stressed the important role carried out by the Rescue and Search Teams Development Committee in GCC countries and Jordan. He lauded the joint coordination in all levels especially the search and rescue exercises they collectively conduct.
Colonel Mohammed Al Ghadeer, acting head of the Civil defense group in Bahrain said that the ministry of interior in Bahrain welcomes and supports the launching of the strategic plan for the search and rescue teams, and looks forward to achieving the goals of the countries of the region.
Commander of the Qatari Search and Rescue Group Major Abdullah Al Mohannadi stressed the importance of the strategic plan in enhancing the joint coordination among the state members. He praised the UAE search and rescue team for its huge expertise.
Commander of the International Jordanian Search and Rescue Team Major Hashem Obeidat, said that the our teams are looking forward to putting the set initiatives into operation, indicating that the teams coordinate in collecting and passing the information amongst them in an easy way through direct communication, a thing which saves time and efforts for the decision-makers.