- A national initiative to build a more prepared society through a unified, integrated curriculum accredited locally and internationally by the European Centre for Disaster Medicine.
- Training and qualifying national “Musa’id” support teams to assist during emergencies and disasters under a unified and integrated framework.
United Arab Emirates: The launch of the National Unified and Integrated Community Preparedness and Response Program, “Community Readiness,” has been announced, with the objective of training and qualifying one million community responders from among members of society, volunteers, students, employees and community teams.
The program will enable participants to provide safe, organized and effective initial assistance during the first critical minutes of emergencies, crises and disasters, until the competent authorities and professional frontline response teams arrive.
“Community Readiness” is being launched as one of the principal pillars of the National Preparedness and Response Program, “Jaheziya,” which operates through an integrated national system comprising institutional readiness, community readiness and international readiness.
The program will be implemented in partnership with government and private-sector institutions, civil and military entities, healthcare and security organizations, ambulance services, community institutions and public-benefit organizations.
The initiative aims to move members of society beyond general awareness toward a state of practical and proactive preparedness, through a unified, progressive national training curriculum based on international standards and best practices.
The training framework combines theoretical education, practical application, simulation, tabletop exercises and field-based drills.
The program is supported by scientific, training and accreditation partnerships with leading universities, training centres and professional organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
These partnerships support knowledge transfer, the localization of specialized programs, the qualification of national instructors and the implementation of unified standards for training quality assurance.
Four Integrated Training Levels
The program consists of four progressive training levels.
The first level, Basic Readiness, includes risk awareness, personal safety, family emergency planning, requesting assistance, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the use of automated external defibrillators, bleeding control, choking management, safe evacuation, fire safety, emergency-kit preparation and psychological first aid.
Participants may then progress to the second level, Advanced Community Responder, which focuses on the principles of incident command, initial scene management, primary triage, multiple-casualty incidents, evacuation and transportation, infection prevention, support for emergency shelters, crowd organization, logistical support, information documentation and participation in field exercises.
The program also includes a pathway for qualifying Community Leaders in team leadership, emergency planning, risk assessment, resource and volunteer management, decision-making, strategic communication, exercise design, report preparation and the identification of lessons learned.
The fourth level focuses on preparing the National Instructor, through training in teaching methodologies, simulation management, scenario development, trainee assessment, quality assurance, curriculum standardization and the development of locally delivered training programs.
A National Network and Database of Responders
The program will establish a national network of trained community responders and specialized volunteer teams distributed geographically across the different emirates.
A national database will also be created to register and classify participants according to their level of training, area of specialization, geographical location, affiliated institution, availability and overall readiness status.
The program further proposes the launch of the “Community Readiness Platform,” which will enable the registration of individuals, volunteers and institutions, the documentation of courses and certificates, monitoring of training validity, skills classification, scheduling of programs and exercises, the issuance of digital responder cards, volunteer management and measurement of preparedness indicators.
The platform will provide dashboards and reports for decision-makers, supporting the identification of training needs, the measurement of geographical coverage and the continuous updating of the readiness status of the national “Musa’id” Emergency and Disaster Support Teams.
These teams may be activated when required, only upon the request and under the supervision of the competent government authorities and in accordance with an approved chain of command.
Supporting Frontline Responders
The role of the community responder will focus on protecting themselves and their families, ensuring initial scene safety, requesting professional assistance and providing initial support within the limits of their approved training.
Community responders may also assist with public guidance, evacuation support, registration, awareness activities, logistical services, shelter operations and other forms of community assistance.
Community responders will not be permitted to perform medical, security or technical duties beyond the scope of their training or professional qualifications.
The program is not intended to replace licensed professionals or official response personnel. Rather, it aims to support them and strengthen the effectiveness of the response during the first critical minutes of an incident.
Dr. Adel Abdullah Al Shamry Al Ajami, Chief Executive Officer of the Zayed Giving Initiative, Chairman of the Emirates Doctors Initiative, Chairman of National Training – Tadreeb, and Chairman of the National Preparedness and Response Program “Jaheziya,” said: “The launch of Community Readiness represents a strategic advancement in building proactive national preparedness. It aims to deliver essential preparedness and response skills to every individual, family, school, university, institution, neighbourhood and community council.”
He added: “Through this program, we aim to qualify one million community responders under a unified, integrated and internationally accredited national curriculum, enabling society to become an active partner in protecting lives, supporting national institutions and assisting frontline responders during emergencies, crises and disasters.”
Dr. Al Shamry emphasized that a prepared society represents the first line of protection for families and institutions.
He noted that every individual who possesses the correct knowledge and practical skills may contribute to saving a life, preventing an injury from worsening, supporting a safe evacuation or assisting institutions and communities during exceptional circumstances.
He explained that the program is not limited to delivering individual training courses. Rather, it seeks to build an integrated national culture based on prevention, proactive planning, preparedness, rapid response, business continuity and recovery.
The initiative will transform knowledge and training into practical community and institutional capabilities that can be activated when required.
International Recognition of the Emirati Model
Professor Roberto Mugavero, President of the European Centre for Disaster Medicine, emphasized the importance of launching the “Community Readiness” program as an advanced model for building community capacity and strengthening early preparedness for emergencies, crises and disasters.
Professor Mugavero said: “The Community Readiness initiative represents a strategic step toward establishing a sustainable community preparedness and response system based on a unified and integrated training framework that combines theoretical knowledge, practical application, simulation and field exercises.”
He added: “The national objective of qualifying one million community responders is an ambitious initiative that can make a tangible contribution to strengthening society’s ability to manage the first critical minutes of emergencies, crises and disasters and to support the competent authorities in a safe and organized manner.”
He noted that an effective response does not begin only when professional teams arrive at the incident scene.
It also begins with a prepared society that possesses basic knowledge, understands how to protect its members, knows how to request assistance and is able to undertake appropriate initial actions until the competent authorities arrive.
Professor Mugavero stated that the European Centre for Disaster Medicine values its scientific and training partnership with the Jaheziya Program and Jaheziya Academy.
He highlighted the Centre’s support for the development and localization of specialized training programs and the qualification of instructors and community responders according to international standards and best practices.
He further emphasized that the program offers an innovative Emirati model that may be applied regionally and internationally, due to its progressive training structure, digital platform, national responder database, quality-assurance system and preparedness measurement framework.
He also highlighted the program’s commitment to ensuring that trainees do not exceed the limits of their approved training or replace licensed and qualified professionals.
Sustainable Health and Community Impact
The “Community Readiness” program is expected to improve the initial response to cardiac arrest, severe bleeding, choking, injuries and other medical emergencies.
It may also contribute to reducing preventable complications and deaths, increasing health awareness and supporting early screening, vaccination and public-health awareness campaigns.
The program will promote specialized volunteering, strengthen social cohesion and engage young people, retirees and experienced professionals.
It will also support senior citizens, people of determination and groups that may be more vulnerable during emergencies, while developing community leaders capable of organizing volunteer efforts in a professional and structured manner.
The presence of trained individuals within neighbourhoods, institutions, schools, universities and public facilities may accelerate emergency reporting, improve scene safety, initiate appropriate first actions and support evacuation, public guidance, shelter organization and psychological first aid.
Training will also contribute to reducing disorder, rumours and the circulation of inaccurate information during emergency situations.
A Self-Funded Social Entrepreneurship Model
“Community Readiness” adopts an innovative self-funded social entrepreneurship model.
A portion of the revenues generated through institutional and specialized training programs will be reinvested in free or subsidized community and volunteer training, instructor qualification, team equipment, curriculum development, the digital platform and emergency exercises.
The standardization of training, the qualification of national instructors and the shared use of training and simulation centres are expected to reduce the cost of external training and decrease reliance on international experts.
The model may also generate financial savings for institutions and reduce the health, operational and economic losses associated with inadequate preparedness or delayed response.
The program affirms that investment in readiness does not represent an additional cost. Rather, it is an investment in protecting lives, sustaining institutions, preserving national resources, strengthening health security and enhancing community resilience.
Phased Implementation and Expansion Across All Emirates
The program will be implemented through several phases.
The initial phase will focus on program establishment, curriculum development, governance, digital platform design and the selection and qualification of instructors.
This will be followed by a pilot phase involving the training of the first participant groups, the establishment of community teams, the implementation of exercises and the measurement of initial outcomes.
The program will subsequently expand progressively across the different emirates, increasing the number of instructors, training centres and community teams and connecting participating institutions to the national database.
The long-term objective is to achieve the national target of qualifying one million community responders.
The initiative establishes a leading Emirati model combining national service, sustainable health and community impact, operational and financial sustainability and the potential to transfer the UAE’s experience to friendly and partner countries through the international readiness pillar.
“A Prepared Community… A Safer Nation”
