KUWAIT: Acting Chief of the Kuwait Fire Force (KFF), Major General Khaled Fahad, affirmed on Monday the keenness to protect lives and properties, deal with all accidents efficiently, reduce their negative effects, and raise community awareness on how to avoid accidents. Speaking during a workshop organized by the Kuwait Society for Protection from Fire Hazards under the title “Lessons Learned…Prevention of Major Accidents,” the KFF’s chief stressed the need for a matrix specifically for the type of risks first and foremost and then classifying them as major or minor risks, which will contribute to raising the efficiency of dealing with them.

He pointed out that risks are not only human but may also be natural, such as earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters, adding that prior assessment of accidents, training, and community awareness with the optimal use of modern technology will contribute effectively to security, reduce risks, and minimize losses in lives and properties. For his part, the former Chief of the Kuwait Fire Force and honorary member of the association, Lieutenant General (retired) Yousef Al-Ansari, said that the workshop aims to bring together the concerned official and civil authorities, private companies that specialize in firefighting equipment, and consulting offices related to safety and accident protection issues to exchange views and experiences in this field in order to ensure the achievement of the desired goals.

Al-Ansari stressed the importance of instilling the concepts of security and safety among all segments of society, indicating that the responsibility is shared by all parties, especially specialists in this field, as they represent the elite and have a major role in educating and guiding society. The Chairman of the Kuwait Society for Protection from Fire Hazards, Adel Al-Nassar, praised the recommendations of the workshop, which agreed on the importance of reducing accident rates, recovering quickly from them, and trying to avoid them in the future.

Al-Nassar said, “We have succeeded in delivering our message with all professionalism through the rapid interaction of all representatives of the state sectors, the private sector, and the relevant authorities in this regard. The working papers presented by the participants are a fruitful step that calls for optimism, hard work, and moving forward towards creating community awareness that safety and prevention of major accidents should not only be a routine matter, but their impact extends to becoming a way of life in society.”

He pointed to the vital role of risk, crisis, and disaster management in normal and emergency situations and the importance of specialized training in developing field performance, calling for the need to enhance the concepts of prevention and safety for sustainable development and quality of life. He explained that the association intends to organize the second civil safety and protection conference next February, which brings together a number of government officials, public benefit associations, the private sector, and experts. — KUNA