The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Command of Civil Defence and in partnership with UAE-based 911 Firefighting Group, is organizing the UAE World Firefighter Challenge 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, as part of the activities of the International Exhibition for Security & National Resilience ISNR Abu Dhabi 2014 from April 1 until April 3.

The UAE World Firefighter Challenge is held under the patronage of Lieutenant General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. The challenge is a combination of motivational competitions unprecedented in their focus on fitness, stamina, and innovation, and is an exchange of firefighting skills that build awareness on fire hazards.

The challenge is expected to receive a very large number of submissions for contestants from around the world representing their nations and competing for prizes that are valued at a total of US$150,000. Registration will be open from February 1 until March 15. Companies and organizations who wish to participate can submit their applications via 911-challenge.com.

Major General Dr Obaid Al Ketbi, Deputy General Commander of Abu Dhabi Police and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of ISNR Abu Dhabi 2014, said: The establishment of a competition such as this is aimed at motivating firefighters to keep going and to maintain a healthily competitive atmosphere for fitness, stamina, skills, and decision-making, especially as it relates to fires, accidents, and other emergencies, where saving a persons life is about the seconds it takes, not the minutes.

He added: Safety and security provisions are the Ministry of Interio top priorities in its efforts to protect the community, since the ministry is consistently committed to raising awareness, educating the community, and assisting people in interacting and reacting meticulously with fires and accidents, because knowledge spreads faster than a fire.

General Ketbi had chaired a meeting attended by the whole board, during which the latest updates and preparations for the organization of the ISNR Abu Dhabi 2014 were discussed. He urged everybody to work in the spirit of a unified team and to coordinate so as to achieve the best results, calling for them to take the opportunity to showcase their best technologies during this important event, in an effort to educate visitors, especially school and university students.

For his part, Major General Expert Rashid Thani Al Matroushi,Acting Director of Dubai Civil Defence, said: The responsibilities of the various elements of the Civil Defence are no longer limited to firefighting, having become an effective force in building awareness and knowledge sharing among the community at large, so as to provide the highest levels of safety and security, and this international competition represents a great opportunity for the Civil Defence and the community to explore best practices in the field, which will help in saving lives and possessions.

Mohammad Al Ahmadi, Managing Director of 911 Firefighting Group, thanked the Police leadership for their support and sponsorship of the challenge, as well as the organizations and participating parties for their making the competition such a success and improving the levels of awareness in safety measures.

He added: At 911, we always work to be leaders in our field, and have launched plenty of unique innovations: we are the first institution to host an event of this kind specializing in firefighting at this level of competition in the region. The competition has garnered an unprecedented level of interest among firefighters, and contenders will experience a very different and challenging kind of competition than anything theyve tried before in the region.