With the Sultanate of Oman facing more unstable weather conditions every year, the role of the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) and the Royal Oman Police (ROP), including its aviation department, are becoming equally more crucial.
It may be noted that in recent times, the police aviation unit has been playing a key role in the search operations of missing persons in the sea or wadis, evacuation of people from the flood-affected areas of South Al Batinah, including Al Rustaq.
The police aviation has been also helping transfer accident victims from the highly remote stretch of the Adam-Thamrait road to the nearest hospitals in Nizwa and Haima.
According to Major Harith bin Malik al Maamari of the Directorate General of Police Aviation, his department provides major services, especially assisting the efforts of CDAA and ROP. He was speaking in a weekly discussion posted by the ROP in its twitter handle on role of the police in search and rescue during emergencies.
He said the role of the police aviation department includes providing air ambulances to people stranded in remote and isolated areas, evacuation of people during heavy rains and floods, and also aerial surveys in case requested by the ministries.
Al Maamari said, “During emergencies, the CDAA and the ROP are the first to respond and visit the affected site. Based on their evaluation of the situation and the area, they request our help and we make our plan to transfer the stranded people and accident victims, or emergency patients to the nearest hospital or ambulance.”
He added, “We also coordinate with the nearest hospital or clinic if the patients are critical, especially if there is head injury as they require special precautions from our side.”
He requested the trekkers to carry mobile phones adequately charged with them and follow the trekking trails laid out by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, which are easy to access. “They should also carry the first aid and have a proper and clear plan of their activities.”
Al Maamari said fishermen should carry satellite phones because it has a GPS facility, which can be used in case of an emergency.
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