Dubai Silicon Oasis steps up safety and readiness attitude among tenants

Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, today conducted a fire and evacuation drill in collaboration with Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, and Dubai Police at its ‘High Bay’ and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT Dubai) buildings as part of its efforts to boost the readiness and responses of tenants and students to emergency situations.

The activity was held to test and fine-tune DSO’s emergency plans and the preparedness of the rescue teams. It also provided an opportunity to review the fire warden’s promptness in responding to fire alarms in the DSO headquarters.

The role play was a replication of a mock fire incidence where tenants were requested to vacate the building and gather at designated assembly points. Rescue teams from Dubai Civil Defence were immediately deployed to the spot along with Dubai Police and ambulance services to support the evacuation process. While the fire-fighters extinguished the blaze and assisted building occupants to vacate, paramedics used stretchers to carry away volunteers role-playing as injured victims.

The exercise follows a successful drill conducted last year at DSO’s headquarters, which continued for over three hours and included the participation of more than 2,000 tenants and DSO employees.

Eng. Khalil Odeh Shalan, Vice-President - Operations & Facilities at DSOA, said: “Safety and security remain a key priority for us at DSO. It was, therefore, important for us to replicate the successful exercise we conducted at the headquarters last year. By rolling out this drill across all buildings at DSO, we can ensure that the entire technology park is prepared for any crisis situation. Additionally, such an activity will also spread awareness among tenants in DSO and underscore the importance of respecting the rules of the premises that are set to prioritise their safety.”

Fire drills are more than an exercise designed to evaluate staff responses to a simulated emergency. They are also a test of the facility’s fire safety/evacuation plans and staff training programmes. Moreover, the initiative serves as a training ground for Civil Defence staff members to demonstrate simulated fire conditions and their ability to satisfactorily perform the responsibilities assigned to them.

Dubai Silicon Oasis is a wholly-owned entity of the Government of Dubai and operates as a free zone for semiconductor, microelectronic and other high technology-based companies looking to set up their regional headquarters and research and development (R&D) facilities in the Middle East and Africa region.