Dh1.5m Ajman beach tower to reduce drowning accidents

The Dh1.5-million monitoring tower - to be used by maritime rescue unit on the Ajman beach - is 80 per cent complete and will become operational by the end of this year.

Brigadier Mohammed Ali Jumeirah, director of fire stations of Ajman Civil Defense Department, said the tower's design follows international standards and specifications to monitor and detect beach-goers' movements for prompt response to accidental drowning or other mishaps that could take place.

The tower will be equipped with advanced cameras and telecommunication system that will help facilitate rescue operation quickly in case of an emergency. Drones will be deployed to locate a drowning person and rescue the individual as well as recover the bodies of the drowned.

Ajman Civil Defense is making all efforts to bring the number of drowning accidents in beaches to zero by the next two years.

In order to achieve this, Ajman has recently established specialized rescue center near the coasts of the Emirate to monitor the seas 24 hours a day and follow-up if any untoward incident happens. The rescue team in the center consists of 15 officers proficient in swimming and equipped with modern equipment for rapid response. The team also keeps tabs on the weather and condition of the sea to advice swimmers and beachgoers about the risks involved in hitting the waves when the currents are high. 

As regards the drowning cases in hotels and furnished apartments, the civil defense - in coordination with the municipality - have appealed their owners to deploy life guards at the swimming pools and maintain the hygiene there.

Regular inspection would be carried out on these hotels and furnished apartments to ensure they adhere to safety procedures. The violators will face hefty fines.

The most challenging issue for the civil defense is the drowning cases that happen in residential buildings, as most of the owners do not care about the safety of the residents and special children while they venture into the swimming pool.

However, Brigadier Ali Jumeirah called on tough laws to ensure the building owners hire life guards and maintain hygiene of the swimming pools.

Afkar Abdullah

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/ajman/Dh1.5m-Ajman-beach-tower-to-reduce-drowning