UAE starts Summer Emergencies drive, experts say heat is silent killer

National Ambulance launched a new campaign called ‘Be Ready for Summer Emergencies’ to promote emergency preparedness during the current summer season.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about public safety practices and provide guidance on preventing Heat-related issues and managing common summer emergencies.

The ‘Be Ready for Summer Emergencies’ campaign coincides with the International Day for the Prevention of Drowning, observed annually on July 25th.

This campaign includes the release of a series of informative posts and videos on social media, which will be available until the end of August. These materials will offer valuable first-aid tips to enhance people’s preparedness for summer emergencies, enabling them to prevent and effectively manage such situations.

If feeling tired, cold, or hot while swimming, exit the water and take a break in a shaded area.

Aligned with the International Day for World Drowning Prevention Day, the campaign commences with the sharing of water safety guidelines and preventive measures. On this occasion, National Ambulance urges the public to follow the top safety tips below to protect themselves in and around water and enjoy a safe summer:

• Be cautious and adhere to safety instructions at the pool and beach.

• Learn to swim and avoid swimming alone.

• Check the weather forecast to ensure safe swimming conditions.

• Swim only in designated areas.

• Refrain from entering the water if the red flag is raised.

• Always swim in the presence of a lifeguard.

• Wear a life jacket during water activities, especially for children.

• Maintain constant supervision of children and ensure they wear life jackets when in or near water. A moment of distraction can have severe consequences.

• Enter the water feet first and assess its depth before diving.

• Avoid running around the pool area.

• If feeling tired, cold, or hot while swimming, exit the water and take a break in a shaded area.

• If caught in a rip current, do not swim against it; swim parallel to the shore instead.

• Never attempt to save someone drowning or in distress by jumping into the water.

Immediately inform the lifeguard and call 999 (Police), 997 (Civil Defense), 996 (Coast Guard), and 998 (Ambulance). You can assist by throwing a life ring or using a long object like a stick to bring them to safety.• If struggling in the water, stay calm to conserve energy.

Signal for help and float on your back to keep your head above water until assistance arrives.

In accordance with National Ambulance’s dedication to delivering high-quality pre-hospital emergency care services in the UAE, this initiative is part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to enhancing community preparedness for emergencies and promoting health and safety practices.”

Scientists have described extreme heat as a “silent killer” taking a heavy toll on the poor, the elderly and those with existing medical conditions.

Research published this month said as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe’s sweltering heatwaves last summer, suggesting preparedness efforts are falling fatally short.

The heat has also caused large-scale crop damage and livestock losses, the World Weather Attribution scientists said, with US corn and soybean crops, Mexican cattle, southern European olives as well as Chinese cotton all severely affected.

Be cautious and adhere to safety instructions.

Residents of Milan were surveying the mess after the dramatic overnight storm and winds of over 100 kilometres per hour.

“It all happened around 4 or 5 AM (0200-0300 GMT) this morning, it was very short but very intense, it knocked down several trees...with the wind gusts they took off and broke up,” witness Roberto Solfrizzo, 66, told Reuters.

The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. Researchers say the deadly hot spells in the American Southwest and Southern Europe could not have happened without the continuing buildup of warming gases in the air.

Thanks to years of research and more powerful computers, scientists can now determine almost in real-time whether climate change is contributing to the intensity of heat, storms, floods and drought — and by how much.

A generation ago, calculating such connections took up to a year, but researchers at World Weather Attribution made their conclusions about this summer’s heat wave in less than a week. Their study is the first to look at three simultaneous heat waves on three different continents.

These unusually strong heat waves are becoming more common, Tuesday’s study said. The same research found the increase in heat-trapping gases, largely from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas has made another heat wave — the one in China — 50 times more likely.

A stagnant atmosphere, warmed by carbon dioxide and other gases, made the European heat wave 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) hotter, the one in the United States and Mexico 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) warmer and the one in China 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) toastier, the study found.

WAM / Agencies