UAE frontline heroes show ‘Readiness’ to deal with emergency situations

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Volunteer Programme and the Frontline Heroes Office are partnering to provide UAE frontline professionals accredited emergency and disaster management training through a new comprehensive programme that is recognised as the international gold standard for medical and emergency response.

The new “Jaheziya” training initiative, which translates as “Readiness” from Arabic, will enhance the knowledge and skills of frontline professionals at all levels who play a critical role in protecting the people of the UAE during emergencies. It will also provide frontline heroes with highly valuable career development through the opportunity to achieve internationally recognised accredited certification in a specialised disaster response.

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For the people of the UAE, Jaheziya will ensure all citizens and residents are protected by a highly skilled network of emergency and disaster management professionals who are certified with advanced medical and response training for a number of potential situations, from infectious diseases and airborne viruses to natural disasters, fires and nuclear incidents.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of the Frontline Heroes Office, said: “As a nation, we have a responsibility to our people to invest in and maintain the highest level of emergency and disaster response capabilities to protect the UAE from potential threats to public safety today and for generations to come. At the same time, we owe it to our frontline professionals to provide them with the highest standards of professional training available both for their career development as well as to best enable them to deliver on the commitment they make every day to serve their nation.”

The Jaheziya programme is being offered to all medical professionals, ambulance and rescue team members.

Noura Al Suwaidi, Secretary General of the General Women's Union, said: “Together we are building the capabilities of the first line of defence and increasing the readiness and capacity of our nation’s emergency response professionals. This internationally accredited training programme was developed and certified by some of the world’s most prominent international institutions to unify all medical and non-medical emergency responders as well as our volunteer networks to be able to work more effectively as a single, cohesive unit to respond to emergency situations.”

Jaheziya is modelled on the programme developed by a consortium of leading US universities and provides successful participants an accredited certification approved by a group of prominent US and UK disaster management institutions, including The National Disaster Life Support Foundation (USA), The American Academy of Family Physicians (USA), the Advanced Life Support Group (UK) and the International Trauma Life Support Programme (US).

Jahiziya training courses are comprehensive, competency-based and standardised across all emergency response disciplines and covering all potential hazards. Specialised courses include:

•E-learning in Emergency and Disaster Medical Response

• Core, Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support

• International Trauma Life Support

• Medical Response to Major Incidents & Disasters

• Basic and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics

All trainees will undergo 60 hours of virtual and field training in courses uniquely suited to their specific roles in emergency and disaster response. The e-learning components will include monthly seminars for all participants and specialised weekly courses based on individual areas of expertise. Field training will be provided to all medical professionals through mobile training centres set up across the UAE and in local hospitals. Trainees are required to pass exams following each segment of the programme to achieve certifications.

The programme is structured to be self-sustaining to provide for long-term capacity building. The highest performing candidates will be nominated to participate in specialised instructor courses. This “train the trainer” leadership development approach will result in the ability to sustain a highly capable and functional local faculty of emergency response experts to lead future training programmes.

Noura Al Suwaidi said: “With Jaheziya we are providing truly innovative life-saving training for the frontline heroes who take on a tremendous responsibility to protect our nation and our people in the face of potential threats and when called upon to save lives.”