The Civil Defense Directorate announced today, Friday, a proactive plan to address winter hazards, warning of incidents related to heaters, flooding, and asphyxiation.
Nawaas Sabah, the Director of the Relations and Media Department at the General Directorate of Civil Defense, stated in a press interview, which "Video News Agency" was briefed on, that "the Relations and Media Department has completed a comprehensive strategic awareness plan aimed at enhancing preventive culture and raising public safety levels within the community through two main axes. The first is media awareness by preparing a system of scientific guidelines specifically for the winter season, focusing on safe usage standards for oil, gas, and electric heaters, and proper storage methods for petroleum derivatives inside homes away from electrical sources and out of children's reach."
He added that "these guidelines will be broadcast across various printed, audio, and visual media, in addition to digital platforms, through programmatic content and awareness clips produced according to technical and standard foundations."
He continued that "the second axis includes field training and qualification, by organizing training courses in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Higher Education and Scientific Research, targeting students and teaching staff in schools, institutes, and colleges; to instill concepts of preventive safety and build a safe educational and community environment."
Sabah explained that "the Civil Defense Directorate, based on its national responsibility as the first responder to accidents and emergencies, and relying on the provisions of Civil Defense Law No. (44) of 2013, which grants the directorate the presidency of the meetings of the Supreme Committee for Managing Civil Defense Operations in the Republic of Iraq, is keen to hold a series of high-level coordination meetings that included representatives from ministries and government agencies at the level of general director and above."
He pointed out that "these periodic meetings aim to unify government efforts and raise the level of readiness and preparedness to face various challenges and natural hazards, such as floods, as well as to prepare flexible emergency plans that can be implemented quickly when necessary."
He noted that "preventive and proactive measures represent a fixed annual approach that is developed and updated based on the cumulative experiences of Civil Defense personnel and leveraging the resources available within state institutions, ensuring the highest levels of protection and safety for citizens."
He indicated that "these measures come as part of early precaution and prevention, noting that "the country has not recorded emergencies in recent years that required a comprehensive government mobilization of efforts."
Regarding heater risks, Sabah emphasized that "heating devices can turn into lethal dangers if not used cautiously and according to general safety rules, especially with falling temperatures."
He explained that "oil and gas heaters may lead to oxygen consumption and produce toxic carbon monoxide gas, which poses a significant danger due to its difficulty in detection by the senses, especially during sleep, as well as the risks of gas leaking, explosion, or tipping over the oil heater, spilling fuel, and igniting the home."
He added that "electric heaters and air conditioning units do not emit combustion emissions during normal electric operation, but they may pose a hazard due to overload on the electrical grid, which could lead to fires."
He stressed that "the golden advice for citizens is not to leave any heater operating at night or when leaving the premises, and to turn it off completely before sleeping, to safeguard the lives of family members and avoid asphyxiation and fire incidents."
Regarding preparations for the rainy season and floods, Sabah mentioned that "the Civil Defense Directorate has completed its preparations and integrated emergency plan to address the risks of the season, based on field experiences and previous databases that identified low-lying areas that may become submerged, particularly those located in valleys and riverbeds at the foot of mountains and highlands, as well as areas adjacent to riverbanks."
He pointed out that "the proactive measures included enhancing water rescue capabilities by preparing and deploying a fleet of newly received rescue boats and distributing them to ensure their readiness for immediate intervention and saving citizens when needed."
He indicated that "Civil Defense teams have successfully carried out rescue operations for several citizens and villages in the northern provinces in previous years," confirming "complete readiness and full preparedness to deal with various accidents and emergency weather conditions."
Regarding the launching of new awareness campaigns, Sabah affirmed that "the Relations and Media Department is keen on preparing a comprehensive awareness bulletin specifically for the winter, which will be launched at the right time before temperatures drop and citizens resort to using heating appliances; to ensure that the guidelines reach them when needed."
He explained that "the bulletin will include a set of important recommendations and guidelines to avoid winter fire causes, which differ in nature from those during the summer."
Sabah conveyed a message to "Iraqi families, emphasizing the importance of adhering to safety procedures and being aware of how to act in case of fires, noting that "every second makes a difference between life and danger, and there are four basic steps that must be followed with precision and steadiness."
He clarified that "the first step is immediate evacuation, prioritizing the extraction of children, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, women, and everyone present onsite to a safe location, while the second step is rapidly reporting by calling the unified emergency number (911), to ensure that rescue teams arrive as quickly as possible."
He added that "the third step involves assessing the situation with awareness; if the fire is in its early stages and there is a suitable fire extinguisher available with the capability to use it, one can attempt to control it, but if the fire has spread beyond the capacity of the available extinguisher, one must leave the place immediately without hesitation."
He affirmed that "the safety of citizens and their lives comes first, calling for "not to take risks in facing fires that are out of control, and to adhere to civil defense instructions to limit accidents and protect lives and property."