In a global and exceptional event, and in light of the circumstances related to the Corona pandemic, and the challenge humanity is facing to overcome the consequences of the health challenge, the United Arab Emirates, represented by Danat Al Dunya (Dubai), was on a date with leadership and excellence, where it presented to the world an expressive board by hosting most countries of the world and millions of peoples of countries of diverse civilizations, cultures and identities, at the opening of Expo 2020, with the presence and auspicious sponsorship of the wise leadership, the event that the world eagerly awaited, and the first of its kind in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
The success of the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 confirmed the wisdom of the wise leadership in hosting the international event and winning the bet in the preparation, readying and providing unlimited support since the first moment that witnessed the submission of hosting file and follow-up of all the steps and arrangements required to complete the file, and then the announcement of the historical moment of the superiority of the UAE over its competitors.
Indicators, data and the integration of roles of all national, local and federal components contributed to enhancing the readiness and preparation for the success of the event in accordance with the specialized work axes, which we witnessed through our inspection visits to Expo, in various stages, the last of which was days before the opening.
In the Civil Defense, we announced the transfer of our headquarters from the main building in Al Qusais to the Expo Fire and Rescue Center to closely supervise the implementation of the approved plans to secure the activities, and to be in the specified place and time.
Our operational plan includes the most accurate details of security, safety and prevention measures, as well as allocating 304 officers and personnel, including 78 firefighters and foot rescuers deployed in all locations, equipped with 73 advanced firefighting vehicles.
491 firefighters in the seven centers of the Jebel Ali sector that support the operations of the Expo Fire Center are ready to carry out emergency support tasks, equipped with 142 specialized vehicles, besides the participation of 156 firefighters from the civil defense regional departments accompanied by 14 specialized vehicles.
To complement the sustainability of preventive measures in various sites, 91 safety guides were dedicated to spreading the preventive culture, and all Expo buildings have been connected through the 24/7 smart surveillance system with the Civil Defense Operation Room.
The Expo Fire Center is supported by positive indicators based on the 509 operations it carried out, including evacuation exercises to test readiness in cooperation with strategic partners, review of safety procedures and systems, and training of security men and employees to use manual firefighting tools.
