@IndoCarib This thread should have been in members club
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Dad let daughter die, rather than be touched by 'strange' rescuer
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August 10, 2015
Dubai Police's Search and Rescue teams have the beaches safe during the day.
Night swimmers risking lives
Dubai Police's Search and Rescue teams say night swimmers refuse to obey warnings
A total of 58 people drowned in the first seven months of this year, according to top official from Dubai Police, who added that out of these, 20 cases happened at night.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Lt. Col. Ahmed Burqibah, Deputy Director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department said that that they have full control over drowning cases which happen during the day.
“It’s the cases which happen at night that create problems for us.”
He pointed out that majority of drowning cases happen on the beach near Burj Al Arab as most of the swimmers and tourists go there to take pictures.
“Burj Al Arab area topped the list of most drowning cases at night, with a total of 18 cases, followed by the Kite Beach area with one case, and one case in Al Mamzar Beach,” he said.
Lt. Col. Burqibah added that many people ignore warnings of not swimming at night.
“This is a serious problem which we face, especially with Asians as they follow the ‘no swimming’ alerts the least.”
He pointed out that while the beaches are open for the public, “We only warn them not to swim at night because by doing so they put themselves in danger.
“We alert them that at night, there are no lifeguards on the beaches, but still, some people ignore all the alerts and go swimming.
“The problem is that in these cases, we can hear the drowning person screaming for help, but we can't find them.
“In many cases, we try to use our vehicles headlights, but still can't find the drowning people.”
Asians topped the list of drowning cases by nationality with 42 cases from the beginning of the year till the end of July, followed by Arabs in 14 cases, and Europeans in two cases.
“Compared to last year, we had a total of 40 drowning cases, where we had 32 Asians, four Arabs, two Europeans and two from North America.”
He added that soon, they are going to have a small brochure for the tourists and swimmers, which will be distributed to people to make them aware of the dangers of swimming at night.
Night swimmers risking lives - Emirates 24|7
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February 4, 2015
Dubai Police’s Maritime Rescue team has set a target of six minutes to respond to drowning cases.
Fewer cases of drowning at sea in Dubai in 2014
Dubai Police handled 39 maritime incidents compared to 57 in 2013
The number of maritime incidents attended to by Dubai Police’s Maritime Rescue team has gone down from 57 in 2013 to 39 in 2014, including drowning cases and sea search and rescue.
Of the 39 incidents in 2014, 28 were drowning incidents, involving 40 people, three of whom died.
Twenty of the drowning incidents took place on Burj Al Arab beach.
Of the 57 incidents in 2013, 35 were drowning incidents involving 46 people, of whom three died.
Major Ali Abdullah Al Naqbi, Head of the Maritime Rescue Department at the Department of Transport and Rescue of Dubai Police, said the department also executed 34 search and recovery operations in 2014, and attended 69 assistance requests.
“Providing assistance to boats or ships that got lost or ran out of fuel or battery is not part of our job as it falls under coast guard duties. However, people call us and we help them out,” Maj Al Naqbi said.
He explained that it is part of their duties to help when there is an injury or someone is drowning.
The maritime rescue team has 77 divers, all of whom are certified as Assistant Instructors.
“All the divers in the rescue team go through rigorous training after they leave the Police Academy. They take different kinds of training courses in swimming, diving, rescue equipment, navigation, how to handle a drowning person… the list goes on,” he said.
All the divers are trained for all kinds of maritime rescue, whether it’s saving a drowning person or searching and diving to find a lost body or vessel and recover the lost body or vessel.
Some of the divers come from families who worked as divers or fishermen, and so are more familiar with the sea and have knowledge of it, he explained. “This makes it easier for the person as they are usually not scared of the sea.”
The rescuer needs to have very good knowledge of the sea, its currents and the wind. Maj Al Naqbi explained that the rescuer needs to be able to “read the sea” so he knows how to avoid strong currents.
When there is a maritime incident, one patrol car and one patrol boat are dispatched, and whichever gets there first starts the rescue operation. “Also, whoever gets there first informs the other of the situation.”
“When someone is drowning, the rescuer approaches the drowning person and identifies himself as a Dubai police rescuer and asks the person to calm down. Then he dives and holds the drowning person from behind and ensures that his face is out of the water and tries to calm the person and assure him that he is now safe,” he explained.
Then they wait for the rescue jetski or speedboat towing a stretcher to arrive, and the person is put on the stretcher.
The target response time for drowning cases is six minutes, as also for boats and ships that are near the shore. Boats and ships that are within seven nautical miles have a response time of 14 minutes and if the boat is farther than 12 nautical miles, the target response time should be within 29 minutes. “We have achieved those targets a 100 per cent. We never exceed the target times and usually we arrive even earlier,” Maj Al Naqbi said.
There are always Dubai Police Rescue patrols at Dubai beaches, between 8am and until Maghrib (sunset) prayers.
Rescue Points
There are seven maritime rescue points across Dubai — Al Hamriya, Coast Guards, Dubai Creek, Floating Bridge, Jumeirah 1, Jumeriah 2 and Jumeirah 3. The officers manning those points are rotated so they are familiar with all the different areas.
“We keep up with the changes and growth of Dubai and adjust our plans accordingly to make sure we cover all of Dubai. For example, we have future plans to have rescue points along the Dubai Canal when it is completed,” he said.
The rescue team also helps with incidents in Hatta, as some accidents takes place in the valleys there near the dams. “When it rains, people take their families and sometimes, when they are not careful they fall into the valley. Also, some young people drive into the water and get stuck.”
In addition to the rescue divers, there are boat operators, who have basic swimming and rescue training, but take a lot of boat-related courses, such as boat operation and maintenance and navigation. “The boat and the people on the boat are all his responsibility.” Maj Al Naqbi explained.
Fewer cases of drowning at sea in Dubai in 2014 | GulfNews.com
