Police warn against obstructing the movement of emergency vehicles

The Abu Dhabi Police emphasised the importance of spreading a culture of giving priority to the official processions, based on the importance of respecting and consolidating the national values and identity reflecting the civilised image to visitors.

The police pointed out it was very important to give way to emergency vehicles, ambulances and police to enhance the speed of response to accidents, warning against obstructing the movement of emergency vehicles and ambulances, which is a negative behaviour delaying the arrival at accident scenes to provide much-needed services to the injured and impede the work of ambulance crews.

The Abu Dhabi Police also urged the public, in five languages, to cooperate with them, especially during accidents by not gathering, so that the ambulance crews can provide their services for the safety of all.

It should be noted that the fine of not giving priority of the road to emergency vehicles, ambulance, police and official processions amounts to Dhs1,000 and 6 traffic points.

A recent report said the National Ambulance has confirmed that it has raised its emergency preparedness and taken all response measures for Eid Al Fitr holidays.

This comes as part of an integrated pre-emergency plan to increase emergency resources by 25 per cent leading to 125 per cent readiness to ensure public safety and preparedness to deal with potential emergency incidents and road traffic accidents across the Northern Regions during the public holiday, which statistics show increase over this period.

The emergency plan preparations include an increase of 25 per cent in both frontline medical emergency crews and the teams working at the Ambulance Communication Centre, to ensure efficient response in dealing with the expected increase in calls and potential incidents.

Last year’s statistics indicate that the number of calls received during the Eid holiday was twice as high as normal days.

The emergency crews will also be supported by field supervision from Medical Operations Managers and senior management officials. Preparations will also involve the strategic and dynamic distribution of ambulance crews with additional ambulances deployed on vital roads that experience high traffic accidents, tourist areas and frequent gatherings.

National Ambulance will coordinate closely with strategic partners across the emergency sector, including the Ministry of Interior (mainly Police and Civil Defence) and the Ministry of Health and Prevention and its hospitals, to ensure public safety and efficient preparedness to respond to potential emergencies that may occur during the Eid period.

Ahmed Saleh Al Hajeri, CEO of National Ambulance confirmed that National Ambulance crews are fully ready and prepared to deal with emergency situations that may arise and look after the public’s safety, as well as closely coordinating with all concerned partners to ensure an effective response and minimise human and material losses. "At times such as this the number of calls we receive increases greatly, so we are prepared to respond to the public’s needs," he said.