King commends ‘distinguished level’ of Civil Defence personnel

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), on Monday attended a drill executed by the Civil Defence Department (CDD) in cooperation with other relevant departments in Ghamadan.

Upon arrival at the drill location, His Majesty was received by Prime Minister Hani Mulki, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat and directors general of the General Intelligence Department, Public Security Department, Gendarmerie Department and CDD, according to a Royal Court statement.

King Abdullah, in the presence of TRH Prince Feisal and Prince Hashim, listened to a briefing from the drill commander on the exercise activities and phases of implementation.

The Supreme Commander watched drill activities that included a simulation of several forest fires that were synchronised with collapse of buildings in various areas and the burn of chemical materials that resulted in explosions in different locations, leaving many injuries. 

Ambulance, rescue, and fire-fighting teams, along with hazardous materials and the international search and rescue personnel dealt with the simulated incidents in cooperation with airplanes from the Royal Air Force and Jordan Air Ambulance Centre.

Also participating in the drill was an MI 26 plane, which entered has service recently under Royal directives and can hold a scooper with a capacity of 15,000 litres of water and is equipped with 60 beds for medical evacuation purposes. 

Partakers showed a "high level" of proficiency and coordination in dealing with the incidents, which showcased advanced levels of proficiency and capability in dealing with several circumstances. 

His Majesty expressed satisfaction over the "distinguished level" that CDD personnel reached in terms of preparation and field performance.

The Supreme Commander ordered stakeholders to provide two boats for ambulance purposes, so as to enable CDD to provide services on land, air and sea.

The exercise aimed at assessing the preparedness level of various CDD specialised teams and increasing the level of coordination among all state institutions involved in dealing with major accidents and disasters. 

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, CDD Director Maj. Gen. Mustafa Bazaiah said that 63 specialised vehicles, out of CDD’s 2,000 vehicles, took part in the drill, adding that the department’s possession of  high-quality vehicles and equipment has been the fruit of efforts His Majesty has exerted towards that end.

According to the statement, the CDD has recorded world-class response time to emergencies, including an average of nine minutes for fire engines and rescue teams and seven minutes for ambulances, thanks to the state-of-the-art equipment and the high-level training of cadres.