Abu Dhabi, 02 September 2019: National Ambulance has confirmed that it has taken all preparatory measures to receive the new school year in the Northern Emirates as thousands of students return to school this week. As part of raising levels of preparedness during the first week, National Ambulance has redistributed ambulance resources to increase its presence around hot spot areas near school zones and dynamic standbys during peak hours in readiness to ensure the safety of students, parents and motorists.
Ahmed Saleh Al Hajeri, National Ambulance CEO said, “As part of our pre-emptive emergency preparations for the new academic year, our ambulance crews and our team at the Ambulance Communication Centre and support function units will be on full alert, especially during peak hours. We have also strategically deployed our ambulance resources and activated dynamic movement of our vehicles, and are coordinating with our strategic partners, including the Traffic and Patrol Departments, Emirates Transport and hospitals, to ensure an efficient response in dealing with the expected increase in calls and potential incidents.”
Al Hajeri added: “Our comprehensive pre-emergency plan for the start of the school year is built on previous year’s statistics which indicate an increased traffic and demand on resources during the first week of the start of the school year, especially during peak hours, as well as the information provided by Emirates Transport related to the school transport plan in the Northern Emirates. So we are well- prepared to tackle any incidents that may arise during this busy period.”
Al Hajeri also urged parents and motorists to abide by safety guidelines, safe driving standards and responsibility as everyone is responsible for enhancing the safety of students and protecting lives, “Deaths on UAE roads are falling, but we can all still do more to tackle the problem of inappropriate driving which endangers lives. Our children are our future and we must all take responsibility for ensuring that every child returns home from school safely every day. Being a patient driver may well avoid someone becoming one of our patients.”
He also stressed the importance of advance planning and leaving home with plenty of time to avoid expected traffic delays and the need to rush; keeping a safe distance behind the vehicles in front to avoid traffic accidents; taking extra care when parking on school ground or streets around it and following the signed parking rules at all times; adhering to the speed limit when passing schools; taking extra care when dropping off children and not allowing them to walk between cars outside school areas; always giving children the right-of-way; slowing down and taking caution of children and school buses, particularly in and around school zones going in and out of cars or buses loading and unloading children.
As well as using the 998 emergency ambulance call number during emergency situations, people in the Northern Emirates can directly contact National Ambulance Communications Centre through the National Ambulance 998 App. At the touch of a button, people can request an emergency ambulance. The request goes immediately to National Ambulance’s Communications Centre, where trained staff are able to respond and dispatch an ambulance directly to the scene through GPS tracking.
National Ambulance provides emergency pre-hospital care in the Northern Emirates through the dedicated 998 emergency ambulance number and NA 998 mobile application. Its primary task is to handle public medical emergency response and provide high standards of emergency pre-hospital care to citizens, residents and visitors across the Emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah.