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2020-09-01

ERS: Building Fire and Rescue Resilience

In August 2020, a fire in a warehouse storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate caused a blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, resulting in the city’s hospitals and infrastructure being inflicted with heavy damage. Other similar incidents have occurred in Tianjin Port, China in 2015 – taking 150 lives, 100 of which were firefighters. In 2013, an ammonium nitrate explosion took 15 emergency responders’ lives in a storage building in West Texas, U.S.

As cities and critical infrastructure become ever more integrated and advanced, and with security services becoming more sophisticated, the region requires world-class emergency response. Training in fire inspections, pre-emergency planning, community risk assessment, and report writings of findings, are becoming increasingly critical to prevent injuries and maintain control over what could potentially be considered hazardous situations.

With the UAE being home to a number of fire and rescue service providers, ERS is one entity renowned for being a reliable provider of fire and rescue services and has clients within the government, military, aviation and commercial sectors. The company builds the UAE’s fire and rescue resilience by offering complete, integrated turnkey provision of frontline Fire and Rescue services.

Providing specialist equipment and vehicles, facilities management, manpower, training and procurement, ERS’s capabilities provide real strength in depth. Coupled with a global reach that enables the company to access a pool of multinational subject matter experts, ERS consistently applies industry best practices to enable end-users the option of confidently outsourcing.

Focus on Excellence

Founded in 2009, and with a team of around 700 employees, ERS’s focus on excellence in customer service is backed by a dedicated Quality Management System. With services ranging from complete management oversight and high-level consultancy, to the development and 24/7 operation of fire stations, the company also places a strong emphasis on training and development for new and existing operational firefighters.

Working to the latest ICAO and NFPA standards, in a wide range of specialities, ERS designs, develops and delivers in-depth programmes at its state-of-the-art training centre in Abu Dhabi – all whilst adhering to leading international guidelines.

ERS works across all major disciplines, with its training primarily split into three core pillars: Hazardous Materials Training; Fire Inspections / Prevention Training; and Fire Officer Training.

ERS’s Hazardous Materials Training provides emergency responders training on identifying hazardous materials in storage and in transportation; pre-emergency planning in the event of a fire in a dangerous location such as a shipping port, airport, warehouse, military installation etc; fighting fires on hazardous materials; as well as incident command during emergency situations.

With fire inspectors playing an indispensable role in protecting both life and property, ERS’s second pillar adds new specialisms from the first pillar to the trained personnel’s capabilities, including building compliance; inspection report writing; as well as risk management.

While ERS’s fire officer training is designed to introduce delegates to the relevant tactics and strategies for emergency scenarios. The training teaches delegates how to work closely with organisational and community leaders to mitigate risk in the community, while also providing stringent programmes for leadership and professional development.

With an approach to fire and rescue that goes far beyond everyday round-the-clock frontline provisioning, ERS is bolstering long-term emergency resilience and preparedness.

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