al matrooshiThe founding committee of the IFE GCC UAE Branch were delighted to arrange on 11 December 2013 the presentation of the IFE’s Fellowship award to Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Commander in Chief of the UAE Civil Defence, following his nomination by the IFE Board of Directors.

Peter Stephenson BEng (Hons) MIFireE and David Black MEng CEng MIFireE made the opening speeches and Ian Gibbons MBE Deputy Consul-General & Director of UK Trade & Investment made the formal presentation and spoke on behalf of the British Embassy Dubai.

Approximately 35 senior Civil Defence officers attended the presentation along with the founding members of the branch committee Terry Johnson, Matt Bright GIFireE, and Michael Kelly EngTech MIFireE which was warmly received by all attending.

The Major General’s acceptance speech highlighted the importance of fire safety and operational preparedness and the huge advances towards international best practice that have been made in the UAE in recent years.

The Major General has offered full support to the branch and looks forward to working closely with the IFE.

Key initiatives that have been implemented include:
1. Comprehensive monitoring of all commercial premises in Dubai, through the 24x7 resource and ‘state of the art’ Operations center.
2. E-Services – the Dubai Civil Defence official website
3. The design and implementation of the new UAE Fire & Life Safety Code of Practice
4. Design and implementation of operational manuals and Standard Operating Procedures
5. UAE Guide for vehicles and equipment technical specification
6. Strategic planning of new recruitment, aimed at uplifting the skill level of officers
7. Comprehensive training and tactical development for all firefighters
8. Careful strategic planning of all resources including risk analysis for resource deployment
9. Carefully calculated Fire Safety Campaigns delivered to all industrial entities and zones
10.Comprehensive Home Fire Safety Campaigns targeting domestic dwellings around Dubai

If you would like to get involved with the Branch locally, or find out more about what is going on in the area, please email membership@ife.org.uk and your details will be forwarded on to the Branch Committee.